WSP04600

• File Number: 8277.100
• Description: Salinity Projects Not Located in Colorado - Colorado River Salinity Control Forum
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 2/1/1996
• Title: Report to Congress on the Bureau of Reclamation Basinwide Program
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Legislative History

. Direction to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop a
comprehensive program to minimize the salt contributed from
BLM administered public lands

. Direction to the Secretary to give preference to alternatives that
reduce salinity at the least cost per unit of salinity reduction

. Authorization for joint feasibility studies with industrial water users
as part of ongoing Saline Water Use and Disposal Opportunities
activities

. Authorization for the Secretary to contract with non-Federal entities
to organize, construct, operate, maintain, and replace authorized
salinity control facilities

· Requirement for concurrent replacement of incidental fish and
wildlife values foregone as salinity control units are constructed

· Requirement to comply with procedural and substantive State water
law

· Authorization for advance planning studies on Sinbad Valley

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The 1984 amendments raised the level of repayment to 30 percent of the
costs, The reimbursable portion of the units authorized by the 1984 amend.
ments are to be repaid either during the year the expenditures are made or
over time with interest, By comparison, 25 percent of the construction costs
of units authorized by the 1974 Act are to be repaid from the basin funds
over 50 years without interest,

The original Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program authorization
is now more than 20 years old, and the 1984 amendments are more than
10 years old, Authorized portions of the original salinity program are
nearing completion, and Reclamation is quickly approaching the 1974 appro-
priation ceiling, The 1974 authorized ceiling (indexed) is approximately
$301 million, Reclamation spending through fiscal year 1994 was $273 mil-
lion, leaving a remaining ceiling of only approximately $28 million,
Completion of ongoing contracts, construction cooperative agreements, and
wildlife habitat replacement will consume the remaining construction ceiling
by about 1998,

The Act of 1974 authorized significantly more construction than could be
completed under the construction appropriation ceiling authorized for the
program, Furthermore, the 1984 amendments authorized more work but
did not authorize additional ceiling. Initially, it was thought that the
McElmo Creek features would be part of the Dolores Project ceiling and that
unused ceiling from the Las Vegas Wash Unit would be sufficient to fund
the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit, Subsequent solicitor's opinions Q \,1 i 1~.\ 0

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