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~ CUoH waters, salinity concentrations must be maintained at or below those levels found in the lower River in 1972, This salinity control ...... obj ective is the Basin States' adopted and EPA' s approved water quality ~ standard for the Colorado River, The standard was adopted pursuant to the Clean Water Act, The policy forms the basis for the cooperative Federal/State, Basin-wide salinity control plan. The Forum has a continuing responsibility to see that a salinity control plan is implemented to meet the policy objectives. After discussions with the Federal Government, the Republic of Mexico, and the seven Colorado River Basin States, the Congress enacted in 1974 the Forum-sponsored Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act (P,L. 93-320). Title I of the Act established a program to reduce the salt concentrations below Imperial Dam (the last diversion point on the Colorado River in the United States), so that the United States could honor its 1973 agreement on Colorado River salinity with Mexico. The Act established a program, Title II, which allowed the States and the Federal Government to work together to prevent salinity increases in the Colorado River above Imperial Dam, benefitting users in the United States as well as Mexico, The 1974 Act also created a Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council, composed of gubernatorial representatives of the Basin States to advise the Secretaries of the ,Interior and Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency as to needed annual adj ustments to the salinity control effort, The appropriations recommended in this testimony by the Forum are in keeping with written recommendations to the federal officials from the Advisory Council. In 1984 the Congress enacted much needed amendments to the 1974 act, These amendments were advanced by the Forum. The amendments ~ (Public Law 98-569) authorized additional Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture activities that were needed to meet the objectives of the Act. In recognition of the vast amount of Federal land managed by the BLM within the Basin, the Congress assigned certain responsibili ties to the BLM. These include the development of an agency-wide salinity control program for the Colorado River drainage basin, Salinity is one of the major problems in the Colorado River system. It is imperative that the salinity control activities of the BLM not be curtailed and that adequate funding be appropriated in FY 92 so that the congressionally directed salinity obj ectives can be achieved. Therefore, we request that the funds for the BLM, as identified in this testimony be appropriated by the Congress, The Forum appreciates the opportunity to testify on this important matter, We offer our continued cooperation with the Federal entities as we collectively look for cost-effective ways to maintain the quality of the River(- Jack A. Barnett Executive Director ., 3