WSP03172

• File Number: 8273.500
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control - Federal Agencies - EPA
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 7/1/1982
• Title: State-EPA Agreement 1982-83 and 1983-84
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

PART I - INTRODUCTION

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~,.. A. THE STATE/EPA AGREEMENT
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The S/EA is a cooperative agreement between the Colorado Department of Health and
Region VIII of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of
the S/EA is to identify those elements of Colorado's environmental health
programs which are to be supported by EPA financial and/or staff resources and to
highlight the "priority objectives" upon which the State and EPA will focus
attention in the coming years.

Historically, the S/EA has been an annual agreement cycled on the federal fiscal
year (October 1 - September 30). This S/EA will be a biannual Agreement based on
the State fiscal year (July 1, 1982 - June 30, 1984). This change reduces
paperwork, allows for a more realistic period to achieve priority objectives and
uses a working programming cycle which is consistent with the other State
programs.

In the State/EPA Agreement, the State and the EPA have established an integrated
and cooperative process whereby the State's environmental priorities are
identified in a comprehensive manner and the relationships among them are made
more apparent and understandable, thus permitting the best all-around use of
available resources. This integrated approach to environmental problem-SOlVing
gives both the State and the EPA a management tool to steer programs in a
coherent direction, consistent with clearly established objectives. It also
facilitates a close working cooperation between State and Federal program
managers. Each of the program priorities subject to the Agreement were mutually
agreed upon by the State and the EPA.

The Federal funding programs being applied to the State environmental activities
covered by the Agreement include: the Water Quality Management (106) Program;
the Safe Drinking Water Program (P.L. 93-523); the Administration of Wastewater
Treatment Works Construction Grants (205(g)&(j); the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA); and the Clean Air (105) Program. The Federal funds from
these programs furnish about thirty-nine (39) percent of the overall funding for
the environmental programs operated by the CDH. The balance of the State's
funding for environmental programs comes primarily from appropriations by the
State Legislature and from fees paid for permits, licenses, etc.

As a management tool, the Agreement offers several important opportunities. The
most important is the setting of overall programmatic and budgeting priorities.
The heart of the Agreement is the definition of "priority objectives" for
environmental health programs. The priority objectives upon which the S/EA is
based reflect a commitment by both the State and the EPA to address key
environmental problems facing Colorado. These priority objectives were
identified not only on the basis of the severity or importance of the problem to
be addressed, but also because it is felt by both the State and the EPA that
specific, meaningful results can be achieved by the efforts to address these
items.

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