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<br />o <br />-.1 <br />u:;) <br />Ul <br /> <br />Environmental Protection Agency <br />Colorado River Salinity Control Program Accomplishments <br />for Fiscal Year 1992 <br /> <br />EPA Headquarters and regional representatives, including the <br />Assistant Administrator for Water, toured several salinity projects <br />and were briefed on the salinity program by the Colorado River Basin <br />Salinity Control Forum (Forum) in July 1992. <br /> <br />Comments were prepared on draft EIS's for the Price-San Rafael <br />Rivers and Moapa Valley Units and on the EIS for the Uinta Basin <br />Unit Expansion. The review process included numerous communications <br />and meetings with State agencies, USDA, Reclamation, and the United <br />States Fish and wildlife Service (FWS)to address wetland and other <br />issues. Technical assistance was provided to Reclamation on the <br />environmental assessment (EA) for the Hammond area of the San Juan <br />River Basin Unit. <br /> <br />The CRSC Program was highlighted by EPA in a publication entitled <br />"The Watershed Protection Approach" for national distribution. The <br />publication encourages an integrated, holistic approach to solving <br />water quality problems. <br /> <br />Readoption of the water quality standards for salinity (in responSe <br />to the Forum's 1990 triennial review of the standards) was approved <br />by EPA for all Basin States except Utah. Utah's water quality <br />standards were revised to include an updated reference to the <br />salinity standards effective August 12, 1992. For several years, <br />EPA has tequested additional information from the Forum and <br />Reclamation regarding the salinity control program plan of <br />implementation and its adequacy to protect the beneficial uses of <br />the Colotado River under various projected hydrologic conditions and <br />sequences. During that time, we have requested copies of the <br />Colorado River Simulation System model runs used as the basis for <br />determining the sufficiency of the Forum's plan of implementation, <br />and we have also requested additional runs to test the improvement <br />in protection of beneficial uses that could result from alternate <br />plans of implementation of salinity control projects. <br /> <br />The Region 8 and 9 Offices of EPA provided partial funding for the <br />United States Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of ground-water <br />contamination in the Aneth area of southeastern Utah. Region 9 has <br />responsibility for all Navajo lands in the Aneth area regarding <br />protection of underground sources of drinking water from <br />contamination caused by improper injection well practices. EPA also <br />provided technical review of draft reports and organized meetings of <br />the Aneth Field Technical Committee, which includes a Forum <br />representative, to coordinate assessment activities. <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council <br />recommendations regarding wildlife habitat replacement on the <br />USDA onfarm salinity program have been addressed by several <br />activities (in addition to the EIS activities discussed above) . <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />"',,,"-"-', <br />