WSP04506

• File Number: 8272.100.60
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 5/1/1987
• Author: CRBSCF
• Title: Proposed Report on the 1987 Review - Water Quality Standards for Salinity - Colorado River System
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION

W Purpose of Report
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u) This report is in response to Section 303(c) of the
Clean Water Act of 1977 (Public Law 92-500 as amended by
Public Law 95-217 and Public Law 100-4) referred to in this
report as the Clean Water Act;
This report is written as a complete document, but
contains historical information only for the 1984-87
period. Background information regarding historical actions
relative to the adoption of salinity standards is contained
in the 1975 report. The 1978, 1981, and 1984 reports
oontain information pertaining to the 1975-1978 period,
1978-81 period, and 1981-84 period, respectively.
Section '303Ic)ll) of the Clean Water Act requires
that: '
"The governor of a state or the state water pollution
control agency of such state shall from time to time
(but at least on~e each three-year period beginning
with the date of enactment of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972) hold public
hearings for the purpose of reviewing applicable water
quality standards and, as appropriate, modifying and
adopting standards. Results of such review shall be
made available to the Administrator."
This report, prepared by the seven-state Colorado
River Basin Salinity Control Forum (Forum) is a review of
the water quality standards including numeric criteria and
plan of implementation previously developed and adopted by
the Forum. This is the fifth such report prepared by the
Forum. This report includes the modifications to the 1984
Forum report and the July 1984 Supplement that have become
necessary as a result of changed conditions and the
availability of better information.
The Forum is composed of water resource and water
quality representatives from each of the seven Colorado
River Basin states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada,
New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) appointed by the Governors
of, the respective states. The Forum was established for
the purpose of interstate cooperation and to provide the
states with the information necessary to meet the
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulation, 40 CFR,
Part 120, entitled "Water Quality Standards - Colorado
River System: Salinity Control Policy and Standards
Procedures," and Section 303(a) and (b) of the Clean,Water
Act. The four previous Forum reports were prepared by the
Forum in response to Section 303(c), as is this report.
The 1975 Forum report includes a detailed discussion
of the legislation and events leading up to the '
establishment of salinity standards for the lower main stem
of the Colorado River. The standards were adopted by all
of the Basin states and subsequently approved by the EPA.