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<br />~ <br />o <br />00 <br />,.j::.. <br /> <br />History and B3ckground <br /> <br />In the 1960's and early 1970's, the seven Colorado River Basin states2 and representatives <br />of the Federal Government discussed the problem of salinity levels increasing in the lower reaches <br />of the Colorado River. In 1972, the Federal Government enacted the Clean Water Act which <br />mandated efforts to maintain water quality standards in the United States. At the same time, <br />Mexico and the United States were discussing the increasing salinity of Colorado River water <br />being delivered to Mexico. In 1974, the Basin states established the Colorado River Basin Salinity <br />Control Forum. The Forum is composed of representatives from each of the seven Basin states <br />appointed by the governors of the respective states for the purpose of interstate cooperation and <br />to provide the states with the information necessary to comply with the Environmental Protection <br />Agency's (EPA) regulation, 40 CFR, Part 120, entitled Water Quality Standards, C.olorado River <br />System: Salinity C.ontrol Polic;y and Standards l'rocfPumq and Section 303(a) and (b) of the Clean <br />Water Act. This regulation was promulgated in 1974. A copy of the regulation is included in <br />Appendix A. <br /> <br />ThisReview, consistent with the EPA-approved 1975 standards and the 1978, 1981, 1984, <br />1987, 1990, and 1993 Reviews, deals only with the portion of the Colorado River Basin above <br />Imperial Dam. As used in this Review, the lower main stem of the Colorado River System is <br />defined as that portion of the mainstream Colorado River from Hoover Dam to Imperial Dam. <br />Below Imperial Dam, salinity is controlled as a federal responsibility to meet the terms of the <br />agreement with Mexico contained within Minute No. 242 of the International Boundary and Water <br />Commission (IBWC), entitled "Permanent and Definitive Solution to the International Problem <br />of the Salinity of the Colorado River." Minute No. 242 requires that measures be taken to assure <br />that Colorado River water delivered to Mexico upstream from Morelos Dam will have an average <br />annual salinity concentration no more than 115 :t 30 parts per million (ppm) total dissolved solids <br />(TDS) higher than the average annual salinity concentration of Colorado River water arriving at <br />Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />With the Forum's support, Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control <br />Act (P.L. 93-320) in 1974. Title I of that Act addresses the United States' commitment to <br />Mexico. Title I of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act provided the means for the <br />United States to comply with the provisions of Minute No. 242. <br /> <br />Title II of the Act created a water quality program for salinity control in the United States. <br />Primary responsibility for the federal program was given to the Secretary of the Interior, with the <br />Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) being instructed to investigate and build several salinity <br />control units. The Secretary of Agriculture was instructed to support the effort within existing <br />authorities (see Chapter 4 for more detail regarding these authorities). <br /> <br />2The seven Colorado River Basin stat.. (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and <br />Wyoming) hereinafter referred to as the "Basin states," <br /> <br />1-2 <br />