WSPC04562

• File Number: 8200.700
• Description: Colorado River-Colorado River Basin-Colorado River Basin General Publications
• State: CO
• Date: 7/19/1977
• Author: Felix Sparks
• Title: Colorado River Documents and Major Events-Sparks Synopsis-July 1976-Threatened Litigation to Impose Revised Salinity Standards on the Colorado River-Agenda Item 6
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD
823 State Centennial Building
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203

July 19, 1977

M E M 0 RAN DUM
------

TO:

Members, Colorado Water Conservation Board
and Colorado Water Congress Executive Committee

FROM:

Felix L. Sparks, Director

SUBJECT: Threatened Litigation to Impose Revised Salinity Standards
on the Colorado River - Agenda Item No.6, Board Meeting
of July 27, 1977.

Section 303 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of
1972 requires the establishment of water quality standards for inter-
state streams. Pursuant to that section, the Environmental Protection
Agency issued a regulation requiring the states of the Colorado River
Basin to adopt water quality standards for the Colorado River and a
plan of implementation for salinity control.

In 1973, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum was
constituted by the seven states of the Colorado River Basin. At the
outset of the forum's deliberations, it was recognized that the only
potential salinity problem existed in the lower reaches of the Colorado
River. It was also recognized that the hundreds of tributaries which
eventually constitute the flow of the Colorado River have a tremendously
varying salinity content from year to year because of widely fluctuating
hydrologic cycles. For instance, a given stream during a year of normal
or above precipitation might contain at some point a dissolved solid
concentration of only 300 parts per million. However, in a drought
year the stream at the same point might contain total dissolved solids
in excess of 1,000 ppm.

On an individual stream basis, a further problem was evident
with salinity reduction measures. For instance, if control measures
were established to reduce the salinity of the Dolores River below the
prescribed standards, how could that benefit be translated to the Yampa
River to permit the salinity to be increased on that river? Under the
existing law, it appeared that constantly changing conditions on the
hundreds of tributaries of the Colorado River posed an administrative
nightmare beyond any practical solution.

Since the actual salinity problem is in the lower reaches of
the river, it seemed only logical to establish salinity control points
in the lower reaches and to work upstream from those points to meet the
desired salinity objectives. This plan was concurred in by all seven
states of the Colorado River Basin and by the Environmental Protection
Agency. In accordance with this plan, the seven states of the Basin
agreed to flow-weighted average annual numeric salinity criteria for

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