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<br />Co.) <br />W <br />r.:- <br />0:. <br /> <br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /> <br />Th.is rep:llt has been prepared in response to the 1984 amendment to the Colorado River Basin <br />Salinity Control Act (PL 98-569). Section 203(b)(3) directed the Secretary: <br /> <br />"to develop a comprehensive program for minimizing salt contributions to the Colorado <br />River from lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management [BLM] and submit <br />a report which describes the program and recommended implementation actions to the <br />Congress and to the members of the advisory council established by section 204(a) of <br />this title by July I, 1987." <br /> <br />Water from the Colorado River supports the municipal and industrial needs of over 18 million <br />people and irrigation for over 2.5 million acres of crop land both inside and outside the basin. <br />Salinity-a measure of total dissolved solids including all inorganic material in solution, <br />whether ionized or not-threatens all these uses. Salinity in the Colorado River ranges from . <br />50 milligrams per liter (mgll) at its headwaters to approximately 600 mgll by the time it reaches <br />Imperial Dam. The Bureau of Reclamation estimates that by the year 2010, salinity could reach <br />963 mg/l at Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />In 1972, the basin States established numeric criteria for salinity concentrations in the Colorado <br />River. Approved as standards by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they are 723 <br />mgll below Hoover Dam, 747 mg/l below Parker Dam, and 879 mgll at Imperial Dam. The <br />Bureau of Reclamation estimates current damages from salinity of more than $100 million each <br />year to the lower basin States. <br /> <br />The BLM administers approximately 40 percent (48 million acres) of the lands in the Colorado <br />River basin above Imperial Dam-approximately 7.2 million of these acres contain saline soils. <br />It is impossible to determine exact amounts of salt contributed from BLM lands because <br />ownership patterns are complex and saline ground water yields have not been quantified. <br />Approximately 11,000 tons of salt added to the Colorado River from the upper basin accounts <br />for I mgll increase at Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />Salts enter the Colorado River system from both point and nonpoint sources, with nonpoint <br />sources being the greatest contributor. Controlling salinity from nonpoint sources is closely <br />related to controlling sediment yield. Vegetation cover is the most important management <br />variable influencing runoff and sediment yield. Major point sources will be brought to the <br />attention of the Bureau of Reclamation. Saline wells and springs will be controlled where <br />appropriate. <br /> <br />BLM has developed a resource management planning process to make basic land-use <br />decisions. Through this process, BLM identifies and evaluates salinity control activities. The <br />effect of management actions on salt yields to the Colorado River will be determined by <br />environmental analyses. Salinity control is accomplished through proper land use and in a way <br />that enhances other resource values. The BLM's role in reducing salinity contributions from <br />public lands is the implementation of land management practices. The BLM will control <br />salinity on public lands through techniques that are cost-effective and provide multiple resource <br />benefits, including salinity control. <br /> <br />1 <br />