BOARD00158 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

drainage system in the Mexicali Valley in Mexico to take care of the salinity problem. Why the United States should go into Mexico and pay for improving the irrigated lands in that area is beyond me. In anfevent. that was the total agreement with the Republic of Mexico. it is a one-way deal. The United States gets nothing. except a --tremendous expense. Mexico persuaded the United States to agree to s~sidize irrigation practices in Mexico and an agreement that it is entitled to another 160.000 acre-feet of water over and above the Mexican Treaty. Some agreement~ That sets the stage. The proposed EPA regulation followed shortly after the agreement with Mexico. The proposed regulation provides that by next June each of the Colorado River basin states shall prepare a plan leading to the adoption of salinity standards by 1975. This gives us only roughly six months to come up with a plan. How- ever. there is a saving feature in the proposed standards. Just what it means. we are not sure. At the time that we have to adopt the salinity standards. which is 1975. we then have to present a plan to enforce those standards. That is. we have to indicate how we intend to carry out the standards. No time limit is specified in the EPA proposal. It is this time factor that is critical to us. Just what the EPA will agree to in the way of time to actually effect the salinity standards. we are not sure. That is the crux of the problem at this time. The fact remains that in 1975 we are expected to establish a specific standard for each of the tributaries in colorado. the Colorado. the Dolores. the White. the Yampa. the San Juan. and the separate drainages which discharge at the stateline. Then we have an unspecified amount of time to actually put those standards into effect. All the states have argued that it will take time to actually put the standards into effect. because the methods are not currently available and projects are not currently available to enforce those standards. The states have a~~ed that they have until 1983 to actually put the standards into effect. This was a common resolution adopted by the salinity forum of the seven states. The EPA regulation reads very much like all the regulations which have been adopted to date on pollution standards. And this is a standard phrase in all the EPA regulations: "Studies to date have demonstrated that the high salinity of stream systems can be alle- viated." Now what that doesn't say is what the cost is. The economic factors of these EPA regulations have been totally ignored. We can in fact. I think. meet a zero discharge standard by 1985 in the United States. if we want to spend fifty billion dollars or so. At least that much. I would say. and thereafter pay a staggering annual operation and maintenance cost. So the dollar figure, the EPA conveniently ignores. What effect this may have upon the economy of -4- I I