Laserfiche WebLink
<br />w <br />en <br />1'.) <br />o <br /> <br />"; ','-' <br /> <br />The USDA was authorized to establish a voluntary <br />onfarm salinity control program. The work will be <br />accomplished through agreements with non-federal entities <br />which require the landowners to share in the costs on the <br />basis of benefits received. A minimum 30 percent <br />cost-share will be required from the land owner unless the <br />Secretary of Agriculture finds that such cost-sharing <br />requirements would result in a failure to proceed with <br />needed onfarm measures. <br />Public Law 98-569 provides that costs of operation and <br />maintenance of Reclamation salinity control units will be <br />the responsibility of the land owners, but limited to the <br />costs that would have been incurred absent the project <br />works. Costs of operation and maintenance in eXCeSS of <br />that amount, costs of salinity control unit replacements <br />and costs of operation and maintenance of works to replace <br />impacted fish and wildlife values will be a federal cost. <br />Costs ~, operation and maintenance of USDA salinity <br />control unit's includ'ing those for works to voluntarily <br />replace fish and wildlife values foregone will be the <br />responsibility of the land owners. <br />, Public Law 93-320 provided that for Reclamation units <br />authorized the basin funds would repay 25 percent of the <br />reimbursable cost without interest over a 50 year period. <br />Pursuant to P.L. 98-659, the same cost-share arrangement <br />continues, for those originally authorized units, except <br />that the 50-~'ear repa~~ment period wi 11 ,be reduced to the <br />lesser of 50-years or that of the estimated life of the <br />unit. For units authorized in 1984, the cost share of all <br />reimbursable costs was increased to 30 percent. <br />Payment from the two Basin funds is to be allocated by <br />the Secretary of Interior by taking into consideration the <br />benefits to each basin from improved water quality, the <br />causes of salinity, and the availability of revenues in <br />each of the Basin funds. The maximum allocation to the <br />Upper Basin is not to exce~d 15 percent of the total costs <br />to be repaid from the two funds with the remainder to be <br />repaid by the Lower Basin fund. <br />Reimbursable costs allocated to the Upper Basin <br />authorized under Public Law 98-569 shall be repaid from the <br />Upper Basin fund with interest within a 50 year period or <br />t~e estimated life of the unit, whichever occurs first. <br />Such costs allocated to the Lower Basin shall be repaid <br />without interest during the year when such costs are <br />incurred to the extent funds are available. If such funds <br />are not available, the deficiency shall be repaid with <br />interest as soon as funds become available. , <br />Public Law'98-569 requires that in selecting units to <br />be constructed, in addition to those originally authorized, <br />preference be given to those units or separable portions of <br />units which reduce salinity at the least cost per unit. In <br />programming the work, a least cost investment model has <br /> <br /> <br />-62- <br /> <br />- '",' <br />