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United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF RECLAMATION IJI'f'C'I C..l",..Ju Rt~1\JfU1 OlilCt 125 Soulh Scalf Srr!"f:l. Roum 6107 SahLahCu)'.Ulah54IlB_IIOZ <:> I- ..... W ~:.'2lfCfI'TO RES-1.I0 Mr. Gordon W. Fassett Chairman, Colorado River Basin Salinity Comrol Advisory Council 106 West. 500 South, Suite 101 Bountiful, UT 84010 Dear Mr. Fassen: Thank you for your letter dated April 17, 2000, conveying the 1999 Annual Repan of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council. The Council asked that Reclamation respond to their recommendations by May 22, 2000. First let me say lhat the Basin Stales as represented by the Council share a great measure of the success of our shared program. So it is v.ith thoughtful respect that we will pursue the Council's recommendations. The Council requested that as organizational changes occur within agencies, each agency identify with whom the responsibility for salinity control lies. Fortunately, Reclamation has experienced fairly low turnover rates in its salinity program. Program management continues to be the responsibility of Mr. David Trueman as the Program Manager and Mr. Charles Calhoun as the Regional Director. The Council urged all federal agencies to consult and coordinate with those other federal agencies having salinity conlIol responsibilities, and \vith the Forum and Work Group. Reclamation believes that there is always room for improvement in this area. With the appoinunent of Mr. Lee Baxter, a full-time team leader in Reclamation's Provo Office, we believe that there is now good coordination occurring at the localleve!. However, good coordination cannot overcome the shonage of funds and staffing needs by the USDA to keep pace \l.ith the Reclamation program. Reclamation shares the Council's Concern that the USDA program's funding has been inadequate, and we hope that the designation of the Colorado River as a National Priority Area helps improve funding. This is a major bonleneck to the Council's desire to increase the rate of implementation of the salinity program. The Council is concerned that the other federal agencies may be using protocols to determine cost effectiveness of salinity control effons that are not consistent with those used by Reclamation. Reclamation shares this concern and has prepared standardized spreadsheets for all panicipants (local, states, and federal) to use in computing planned and completed projects. The methods are based on the federal government's Economic and Em'ironmenfal Principles and