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<br />w <br />00 <br />en <br />,J:>,. <br /> <br />I NTRODUCTI ON <br /> <br />This repqrt provides the .basis for a continuing evaluation of the Title II <br />portion of salinity control programs in the Colorado River Basin. It is <br />directed .to Federal managers to evaluate and decide if th~ program .is <br />being carried out in the most cost-effective manner in accordance with the <br />program schedule. The report does not evaluate the Title I part of the <br />salinity ~ontrol program downstream from Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />The Colorado River Basin encompasses portions of seven states. The river <br />flows ove'r 1,400 mi les from its headwaters in Wyomi ng and Colorado. It joins <br />with trib~tarie5 in Utah and New Mexico, flows through the Grand. Canyon, <br />provides state boundaries for Nevada; Arizona, and California, flows through <br />the Republic of Mexico, and terminates in the Gulf of California. <br /> <br />The Color9do River provides municipal, industrial, and agricultural water <br />supplies for over 17 million people. The river, however, carries about <br />9 million'tons of salt annually past Hoover Dam. This salt load caused <br />an estimated $91 million dollars in total damages for water users in t~e <br />United states in 1983 alone. Projections reflect salinity levels increas- <br />ing beyond numeric standards if controls are not implemented even though <br />recent flC!od flows have flushed and filled the major reservoirs, signifi~ <br />cantly 10ll(ering salinity levels at Imperia" Dam from an average annual of <br />825 mg/L im 1982 to 732 mg/L in 1983. <br /> <br />Programs and Participants <br /> <br />TheCRWQIPr'(Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program) was initiated <br />as a gener~l investigation program by Reclamation (Bureau of Reclamation) in <br />1971. The general goals and objectives governing salinity control in the <br />basin have,beenestablished by two key pieces of Federal legislation: The <br />Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, Public Law 92'-50p; and the <br />Colorado River Basi Ii "S'a'1'inityConti'bIActof 1974,Publ ic Law 93:320. <br /> <br />~W~i~t~twwt~~r~OO'provides for water quality standards for receiving waters, <br />and Public 'Law 93-320 authorizes construction of four salinity control unit~ <br />and studie~ of twelve additional units. <br /> <br />S. 752 and 'H. R. 2790 a re proposed amehdments to Pub lie Law 93-320 whi ch waul d <br />modify the :cu rrent sal i ni ty cont ro I program. They woul d provi de for two new <br />Interior pr,ojects (see item 3 on p. 9 for a list of units), a new Department <br />of Agriculture program, and replacement and operation of incidental wildlife <br />habitat va lUes. <br /> <br />The current, salinity control program was established by Public Law 93-320, <br />the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act. In this legislation, the <br />Secretary of the Interior was directed to implement the salinity control <br />policy adopted. on April 26-27, 1972, for the Colorado River in the <br />"Conc I us ionS and Recommendat ions" pub 1 i shed in the Proceedi ngs of the <br />Reconvened Seventh Session of the Conference in the Matter of Pollution of <br />the Interstate Waters of the Colorado River and Its Tributaries in the <br /> <br />,:> <br /> <br />!~ <br /> <br />-,1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />J <br />,~ <br />ili <br />, <br />51' <br />f;1 <br />-i <br />...-.~ <br />, <br />, <br />. '-<;. <br />. <br /> <br />