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w c.Jl en ~ Legislative Action Since 1984 1984 Amendments to the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act Beginning in 1981,the Forum, with the support of all Basin senators and many Basin congressmen, urged the enactment of needed amendments to the 1974 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act. Much of the legislative history concerning that effort was outlined in the "l984 Review, Water Quality Standards for Salinity, Colorado River System." As a result of the efforts of those supporting revised salinity control legislation through the summer of 1984, the Congress gave further consideration to tne proposed legislation. Environmental and cost sharing concerns were, discussed at some length with Senators, Congressmen" and special interest groups. The legislation was modified to accommodate environmental concerns, and the amount of cost sharing required of the Basin states was significantly increased. In its very last days, the 98th Congress passed H.R. 2790 which amended Public Law 93-320. The President signed the bill on October 30, 1984, and that legislative initiative became Public Law 98-569 and is Appendix B of this report. Some of the important amendments made by the Act are described in g,'eneral t'erms in the following paragraphs. The legislation directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to give preference to the salinity control units that reduce salinity at the least cost per unit of salinity reduction. It provides for replacing canals and laterals with pipes, if found the most cost-effective, in the Grand Valley Unit of Colorado. Stag~ I of the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit, Colorado, and the McElmo Creek Unit (as a part of the Dolores Participating Project, Colorado) were both authorized. The Crystal Geyser Unit, Utah, authorized in 1974, was deauthorized by the legislation. Provisions were made for replacment of some incidental fish and wildlife values foregone resulting from the implementation of the Department of the Interior salinity control units. The legislation gives the Secretary of the Interior authority to contract with trrigation entities for long-term operation and maintenance of canal and lateral systems. The legislation requires that irrigation facility operators continue to carry the normal operation and maintenance costs that would have been associated with their facilities prior to improvements for salinity control purposes and provides that they would be reimbursed for costs in excess of those that normally would have been incurred. It also authorized the Secretary of the Interior to fund the organization of private canals and laterals through grants or contracts. -3-