BOARD00481

• Board Meeting Date: 5/11/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Salinity Control Program
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
1 31 3 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

STATE OF COLORADO

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Roy Romer
Governor

MEMORANDUM

Jilmes S. Lochhead
Executive DIrector, DNR

Dilries C.Ule, P.E.
Director, eWeB

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Steve Miller ')..t)l.~ ~
Interstate Streams and Hydrologic Investigations Section

FROM:

DATE:

May 8, 1998

SUBJECT:

Agenda Item 26h, May 11-12, 1998 Board Meeting-
Colorado River Basin Issues - Salinity Control Program

Introduction

This memo is to advise the Board of federal funding issues in the Colorado River Basin Salinity
Control Program ["CRBSCP"]. The Board is also being asked to support designation of the
Colorado River Basin as a National Priority Area for salinity control under the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's [''USDA''] Environmental Quality Incentives Program ["EQIP"].

Implementation of the CRBSCP is dependant on two primary federal agencies: the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation [''USBR''] and USDA; and four sources of funds: USDA federal funds derived from
the Commodity Credit Corporation ["CCC"], USBR appropriated federal funds, USBR administered
Basin State cost-share funds derived from sales ofCRSP generated power, and local cost-share funds
. provided by participating farmers and/or water users. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management
["BLM"] also plays a role in implementation of salinity control, but its program and funding do not
involve local participants and are beyond the scope of this memo. New legislation and amendments
to the 1974 federal CRBSC Act ["1974 Act"] during the 1990's have changed the procedures for use
of non-federal dollars, and increasingly focus acceptance into the USDA and USBR portions of the
CRBSCP on a competitive, cost per ton of salt controlled basis.

USBR Fundinr:

Congress is currently considering the USBR budget and CRBSCP funds for federal FY 99-2000.
The President's budget request for FY99-00 is approximately $12.5 million and when combined
with about $5 million cost-share dollars from the Basin States funds would be sufficient to keep the
USBR portion of the CRBSCP on pace to meet forecasted salinity control needs out to the year 2020.