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<br />- i <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />... . ......,?" n <br />iJL(O~j <br /> <br />The seven Colorado River Basin states, acting collectively as the <br />Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, have met with Bureau of <br />. Land Management (BLM) officials to discuss ways that this major land <br />management agency can be more actively involved in programs to control <br />salt discharges from point and nonpoint sources on Federal lands. The <br />States have information which leads them to conclude that tens of <br />millions of dollars could be saved in Federal and State expenditures <br />as measures are implemented to reduce salt loading to the Colorado <br />River in order to meet water quality standards if the BLM were actively <br />involved. Other programs administered by other federal agencies for <br />the most part remove salt from the system at a greater cost than BLM <br />programs. <br /> <br />The BLM has responded to instructions from the Congress and the <br />urging of the Basin States with attempts to identify the most cost- . <br />effective opportunities for BLM participation in salinity reduction <br />efforts. Initial investigations indicate that the necessary actions <br />will have multiple benefits. A major problem appears to be that highly <br />saline soils are rapidly being eroded because of a less-than-desired <br />vegetative cover, With the establishment of an appropriate vegetative <br />cover, there will be less soil erosion, less salt moved to the Colorado <br />River, improved habitat for wildlife, and enhanced grazing for <br />livestock. The cost of some of these land management options appears, <br />at this point in time, to provide an opportunity to reduce salt at <br />costs significantly lower than some of the other alternatives being <br />considered by other federal agencies. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />, <br />Funas should be spent in highly saline areas, over and above funds <br />normally made available through the Soil, Water and Air Management fund <br />distributions. More specifically, with respect to the funds designated <br />for use in the Colorado River Basin, $230,000 should be spent in FY 92 <br />on inventory work in potential salinity control areas; $45,000 in <br />cursory studies of watersheds; $502,000 in reconnaissance planning; <br />$413,000 in comprehensive planning; $1,787,000 in implementation; <br />$275,000 in maintenance; and $202,000 in monitoring--for a total of <br />$3,450,000, ' <br /> <br />JUSTIFICATION <br /> <br />The water of the Colorado River System serves some 18 million <br />people and irrigates approximately 1,6 million acres of land in parts <br />of the seven Colorado River Basin States. The River also provides <br />domestic and irrigation water to Mexico. Salini ty has long been <br />recognized as one of the major problems in the River, Water users in <br />the lower reaches of the River system in the United States have <br />suffered significant adverse impacts due to the River's salinity, <br />These impacts have/been estimated to have reached over $300 million a <br />year. Without salinity control measures and with increased demands for <br />Colorado River water in the Basin, the River's salinity is projected <br />to increase, further impairing the usefulness of this water supply; <br />without salinity control measures, economic damages suffered by the <br />water users could double by the turn of the century. <br /> <br />The Basin States' concern with the River's increasing salinity led <br />them to create the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum in 1973, <br />The Forum (whose members are appointed by the governors of the <br />aA respective States) developed a salinity control policy that stated that <br />~while the Basin States continue to develop their compact-apportioned <br /> <br />2 <br />