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<br />........ <br />-.J <br />W <br />C)l <br /> <br />I. <br /> <br />Public Laws 93-320 and 98-569 authorized the Secretaries of the <br />Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture to enhance and <br />protect the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the <br />United States and the Republic of Mexico. Under Title I a desalting plant, <br />brine discharge canal, and other features will enable the united States to <br />deliver water to Mexico having an average salinity no greater than 115 parts <br />per million (ppm) ~ 30 ppm over the annual average salinity of the Colorado <br />River at Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />The acts also authorized the Secretary of the Interior to construct five <br />salinity control units. Another unit was completed in a verification program. <br />Furthe~, the Secretary was directed to undertake research on additional <br />methods -to control salinity and to cooperate with the Department of <br />Agriculture and others. ~ <br /> <br />In 1985, the salinity level in the Colorado River at Imperial Dam was 607 <br />milligrams per liter (mg/L). Reclamation and Agriculture controls to date are <br />removing 126,800 tons of salt annually from the river system. The salinity at <br />Imperial Dam is projected to reach an average of 963 mg/L by the year 2010 <br />without further controls. Peak salinities are predicted to approach 1,200 <br />mg/L in some years. OVer a million tons of salt per year will need to be <br />removed by the year 2010 to maintain average salinity below the numeric <br />criteria level of 879 mg/L at Imperial Dam. Even at this level of salinity <br />reduction, there will still be temporary but significant excursions beyond 879 <br />mgjL due to the natural variations in climatic conditions and water usage. <br /> <br />S-2 <br />