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<br />To provide information required by the federal, state and local agencies to address <br />Colorado River water quantity and quality issues, the USGS operates and maintains a network of <br />about 520 stream gaging stations and 140 water quality stations in the Colorado River Basin. <br />Streamflow and water-quality information from these stations provide input to the hydrologic <br />database for Reclamation's Colorado River Simulation System. In addition to collecting <br />hydrologic data, the USGS conducts specific studies on surface water, ground water and water <br />quality. <br /> <br />~ <br />...... <br />...... <br />00 <br /> <br />Environmental Protection Aeency lEPA) <br /> <br />The major EPA programs relating to Colorado River salinity control are: (1) water quality <br />management planning; (2) water quality standards; (3) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination <br />System (NPDES) permits; (4) review of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents; <br />(5) nonpoint source control under Section 319 of the Water Quality Act of 1987; (6) wetlands <br />protection; and (7) the Underground Injection Control (UIe) Program. For the most part, these <br />programs are either implemented by the states under federal statute (such as the water quality <br />standards program) or delegated to the states by EPA (such as the NPDES program). EPA <br />maintains oversight responsibilities for the assumed and delegated programs, and has responsibility <br />for reviewing and approving water quality standards, including those for salinity. EP A continues <br />to encourage the Basin states to develop and implement the basin-wide and state salinity control <br />strategies. <br /> <br />Section 303 of the Clean Water Act (CW A) requires states to adopt water quality <br />standards, pursuant to their own laws, that are consistent with the applicable requirements of the <br />CWA. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, through its Work Group, has been <br />re-affirming the numeric criteria for salinity and developing a new basin-wide plan of <br />implementation for salinity control for the seven basin states every three years to satisfy the <br />triennial review requirements of the CW A. Following adoption of the standards by each state, <br />it is the responsibility of the EP A regional administrators to approve or disapprove the standards <br />based on consistency with CW A requirements. <br /> <br />NPDES permits are issued by EPA for the two non-delegated states in the basin (Arizona <br />and New Mexico), including Indian tribes. In Arizona, the State drafts the permits for Arizona <br />waters consistent with the Forum's NPDES policies. The State also provides the public notices. <br />EPA Region IX drafts and issues the permits for tribal waters consistent with the Forum policies. <br />EPA Region IX issues NPDES permits for Navajo lands in all three EPA regions. EPA Region <br />VI drafts and issues permits for other Tribal and State waters in the New Mexico portion of the <br />basin consistent with Forum policies. EPA Region vm issues the NPDES permits for federal and <br />Indian facilities in the Colorado River basin in Colorado. Salinity requirements for these permits <br />are reviewed and added where needed during the permit re-issuance process. <br /> <br />Pursuant to Section 309 of the Clean Air Act, EPA reviews NEPA environmental <br />assessments and environmental impact statements for both salinity and non-salinity control projects <br />of other agencies. Through review of NEP A documents, EP A urges the identification of potential <br />salinity impacts and encourages discussion of mitigation of adverse impacts as required by the <br /> <br />4-13 <br />