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~ en ~ U) CHAPTER VI. MEANS OF MAKING PLAN OPERATIONAL Le~islation Needed to Carry Out Pro~rams The modifications to Public Law 93-320 in 1984 by P.L. 98-569 establish most of the components necessary to effect the plan of implementation as it is now set forth. There are some exceptions. Reclamation's Uinta Stage I Unit in Utah and the Lower Virgin Unit in Nevada, will need construction authorization. The Price-San Rafael coordinated effort is now being studied by Reclamation and SCS. If it is determined to be cost-effective and feasible, it could use advance planning dollars in FY 89 and construction dollars in FY 92. USDA's pgrtion of the Price-San Rafael Unit will not require formal Congressional action; however, Reclamation's portion of the coordinated plan, if they are to go to construction, will require ,formal action by the Congress for construction. It is unlikely that USDA will proceed alone with its activities. Financing Salinity Control Projects There are man~ entities and levels of government concerned with the salinity of the Colorado River, However, solutions are, possible only in a basinwide context. The federal "jovernment is involved in all the major basinwide aspects of the salinity problem, and it is the federal government which entered into Minute Ko. 242 with Mexico in order to achieve a permanent and definitive solution to the problem of the salinity of the water delivered to Mexico. Additionally, federal lands, including lands held in trust for the Indians, which constitute 75 percent of the basin, are the source of most of the naturally occurring salts in the river. Accordingly, the federal government is the appropriate unit of government to finance the salinity control projects and to be allocated a major share of costs. In enacting Public Law 93-320, Congress recognized the federal responsibility for the Colorado River as an interstate stream and adopted a cost-sharing formula which provides that 75 percent of the costs of the four Department of Interior salinity control projects authorized by Title II of the Act are nonreimbursable. The remaining 25 percent of the costs are to be repaid from the basin funds of the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basins. Public Law 93-320 was amended on October 30, 1984, by Public Law 98-569. The Department of Interior con- struction program was changed by deletion of one of the salinity control units which had been authorized and addition of two new units. The Secretary was also directed to develop a program which would minimize salt contributions from federal lands and authorized advanced planning activities for one unit to start implementation of that program. -61- J