WSP03271 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Appendix II Objectives, Scope, and Methodology t.) Ul r.n I:.Jt The Ranking Minority Member, House Committee on Resources, and the Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, House Committee on Appropriations, in their former roles as Chairs, asked us to review the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. Specifically, they requested that we gather information on (1) the cost and status of the salinity control projects, (2) factors considered in selecting salinity control methods, and (3) the Department of the Interior's measures of the salinity control program's effectiveness. They also requested information on the responsibilities and activities of the agencies involved. We concentrated our review on three agencies involved in the salinity control program: Interior's BOR and BLM, and USDA. We reviewed.relevant documents and interviewed salinity control program managers in the Department of the Interior and USDA. In Interior, we met with program officials from BOR and BLM. In USDA, we met with program officials from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service and the Soil Conservation Service. We also interviewed the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum's Chairman and Executive Director. Additionally, we interviewed representatives of the International Boundary and Water Commission, in El Paso, Texas; the Environmental Defense Fund, in Boulder, Colorado; and an irrigation district in Grand Junction, Colorado. Finally, we interviewed interested or concerned citizens in the Grand Junction area To determine the cost and status of salinity control projects, we obtained project summaries from program managers in Interior and USDA. To identify the factors considered in selecting project methods, we reviewed the project summaries and interviewed program managers in the two departments. To provide information on the salinity control program's effectiveness, we reviewed the Department of the Interior's salinity measurements and progress reports. We also interviewed officials from USDA'S Office of the Inspector General and EPA'S regional office in Denver. Additionally, we reviewed four audit reports issued by the Inspectors General of the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to identify recommendations pertaining to title II of the Salinity Control Act. We then reviewed the agencies' tracking fIles and interviewed agency officials about actions taken to implement the recommendations. At the time of our review, USDA'S Inspector General was auditing the agency's salinity control projects in southwestern Colorado. The Inspector General's report had not been issued at the time of this report. Page 24 GAOIRCED~95-58 Salinity Control Projects in the Colorado River Basin