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<br />w <br />~ <br />0) <br />0) <br /> <br />of Reclamation (Reclamation) being <br />investigate several salinity control <br />Agriculture was instructed to support <br />authorities. See page 30 regarding <br />under P.L. 93-320. <br /> <br />instructed to build and <br />uni ts. The Secretary of <br />the effort wi thin exis1~ing <br />the specific authorization <br /> <br /> <br />In 1984, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act was <br />amended. This was the first major legislative change since the <br />1974 enactment of the authorization for the program (P.L. 93-320). <br />The 1984 legislative amendments directed the Secretaries of the <br />Interior, and Agriculture to give preference to the salinity control <br />units which reduce salinity at the least cost per unit of salinity <br />reduction. Stage I of the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit, Colorado, and <br />the McElmo Creek Unit (as 'a part of the Dolores Participating <br />Proj ect), Colorado, were both authorized. The Crystal Geyser Unit, <br />Utah, authorized in 1974, was de-authorized. <br /> <br />A major provision of the legislation was the enactment of a <br />voluntary onfarm salinity control program to be administered by the <br />Department of Agriculture. Further, the Secretary was directed to <br />allow for the voluntary replacement of fish and wildlife values <br />foregone as irrigation improvements were implemented. <br /> <br />The Forum is composed of water resource and water quality <br />representatives from each of the seven Colorado River basin states <br />(Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and <br />Wyoming) appointed by the governors of the respective states. The <br />Forum was established for the purpose of interstate cooperation and <br />to provide the states with the information necessary to meet the <br />Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulation, 40 CFR, Part <br />120, entitled Water Quality Standards, Colorado River System: <br />Salini ty Control POlicy and Standards PJ;'ocedures and Section 303 ( a) <br />and (b) of the Clean Water Act. The four previous reviews were <br />conducted by the Forum in response to Section 303(c), as is this <br />report. <br /> <br />The 1975 Forum rep0rt includes a detailed discussion of the <br />legislation and events leading up to the establishment of salinity <br />standards for the lower main stem of the Colorado River. The <br />standards were adopted by all of the Basin states and subsequently <br />approved by the EPA. The 1978, 1981, 1984, and 1987 reports <br />reviewed the numeric criteria included in the 1975 report and <br />concluded that no change was warranted; however, the plan of <br />implementation was updated to reflect the circumstances at those <br />times and changes that had taken place in the salinity control <br />projects status since 1975. <br /> <br />The plan of implementation, asset forth in this and the <br />earlier Forum Reviews, includes effluent limitations for indus'rial <br />point source discharges with the objective of no-salt return <br />whenever practicable. In February 1977, the Forum adopted the <br />"Policy for Implementation of Colorado River Salinity Standard" <br />Through the NPDES Permit Program." This policy provides detailed <br />guidance in the application of salinity standards in the regulation <br /> <br />2 <br />