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(::> .~ ....... N Grand Valley Unit. The Council is pleased with the cooperative actions by the USDA agencies and Reclamation to effectively coordinate the onfarm and off-farm implementation actions in this unit. The cooperative surge irrigation demonstration has been especially successful. Lower Gunnison Basin Unit. The Council appreciates the actions of USDA agencies in allocating funds and providing staff for implementation in all of the subareas in this unit. The Council is pleased with the progress being made in this unit by the USDA voluntary wildlife replacement program. McElmo Creek Unit. The Council is pleased with the excellent progress in this unit under the USDA program and the cooperation with Reclamation during the first two years of implementation. Environmental Protection Agency The Council appreciates the increased level of support for coordination between EP A and the Forum. However, the Council and the Forum still believe that various divisions within EPA need to better understand the organization and operation of the Forum, the salinity control program, its objectives, and the specific salinity control related directives from Congress. Further, the Council and the Forum still do not believe that EP A, within the higher levels of its organization, gives the nation's most extensive and successful nonpoint source water quality control program the support and recognition it deserves. MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS The Council's budget requests represent the minimum funding required for the program to be successful in maintaining salinity within the federally mandated and state adopted numeric criteria. All activities are consistent with the salinity control program set forth in the "1990 Review-Water Quality Standards for Salinity-Colorado River System" and the 1991 Joint Evaluation Report. Unlike many other federal programs, the salinity program provides a significant amount of up-front, non-federal cost sharing; 30 percent from the Upper and Lower Basin funds for Interior programs, and at least 51 percent from the local participating farmers and the Basin funds for the USDA onfarm program. The non-federal participants (land owners, irrigation districts, etc.) stand ready to contribute their up-front share of program costs. The Council urges the federal agencies to vigorously pursue adequate funding to implement their portion of the salinity program in a timely and cost-efficient manner. The funding requests should be in accord with Executive Order 12088. Table I contains the Council's recommendations for appropriations for FY 1994 and FY 1995. Tentative recommendations for FY 1996 funding to provide program continuity are also offered. The Council hastens to point out that any shortfall in these funding levels will have to be offset by increased funding in subsequent years. In addition, delays in the funding of the 6