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<br />1999 ANNUAL REPORT <br /> <br />o <br />00 <br />..... The Council requested in the 1998 report that the USDA designate an individual to coordinate the <br />o <br />implementation of the USDA's salinity control efforts in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. The <br />Council recognizes that these three states are administered from two NRCS regions, but the Basin <br />states have been assured in the past that coordination can be effectuated without regard to regional <br />boundaries. The Council made this same recommendation in its 1997 report. This past year, the <br />Forum agreed to the use of State Basin Funds to help support this position. The Council observes <br />that the USDA program is not as effective as it might be and asks that prompt action be taken to <br />improve needed coordination. The Council is aware that the position has been approved but that <br />budget considerations at high levels have a temporary hold on the advertising of the position. The <br />Council has recommended that Reclamation take the lead in coordinating the overall program. <br />Having a USDA salinity coordinator located in Salt Lake City would be a valuable asset to this <br />coordination effort. <br /> <br />The Council believes that the Forum's Work Group should become actively involved in identifYing <br />how the funds provided for the special interest area can be most effectively spent. The key to <br />geographic implementation of non point source water quality control and the President's Clean Water <br />Action Plan are hydrologic basins and watersheds. When the water quality problem is basinwide, <br />then the local level is the full basin and in the case of the Colorado River salinity issue, local <br />representation must come from all seven states. To do otherwise violates NRCS/EQIP announced <br />principles and will undoubtedly lead to a less than fully effective program. <br /> <br />The Council finds that there is a strong need for coordination and consistency in the implementation <br /> <br /> <br />of the salinity control program. There must be assurances that common criteria are used in <br /> <br /> <br />evaluating proposals. There needs to be an assurance that cost effectiveness is calculated in a <br /> <br /> <br />consistent way, and there needs to be concurrence in how monitoring and evaluation programs are <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL ADVISORY COUNCIL <br /> <br />13 <br />