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<br />~ <br />-J <br />~ <br />I--'- <br /> <br />control program and makes recommendations to the Secretaries of the Department <br />of the Interior and USDA and the Administrator of the EPA on the progress of <br />implementation of the salinity control program. <br /> <br />The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum was established in <br />1973 as a mechanism for interstate cooperation and to develop and adopt water <br />quality standards for salinity, including numeric criteria, on the Colorado <br />River. <br /> <br />The standards were published in 1975 and were based on the objective <br />of maintaining salinity concentrations at or below the 1972 levels found in <br />the lower main stem while allowing the Basin States to continue to develop <br />their compact apportioned waters. The Forum is composed of up to three <br />representatives appointed by the governor of each of the Basin States. The <br />seven Colorado River Basin States--Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New <br />Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming have an important role in the salinity control <br />effort. They are responsible for the control of the discharge of total <br />dissolved solids from point discharges through the NPDES permit program. <br />California, Colorado, Nevada, and Wyoming have authority to issue all types of <br />NPDES permits; New Mexico and Arizona prepare permits and forward them to EPA <br />for issuance; and Utah issues its minor industrial permits while EPA handles <br />the major industrial permits. <br /> <br />The States have primary responsibility for the adoption and <br />enforcement of water quality standards. The numeric criteria (standards) <br />established at Hoover, Parker, and Imperial Dams are 723 mg/L, 747 mg/L, and <br />879 mg/L, respectively. In addition to NPDES permits, the States have <br />developed water quality management plans to conform with the requirements of <br />Section 208 of the Clean Water Act. <br /> <br />1-6 <br />