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<br />o <br />CJl <br />CJl <br />W <br /> <br />1991 Annual Progress Report <br />Water Quality standards for Salinity <br />Colorado River system <br /> <br />August 1992 <br /> <br />prepared by the <br />Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />In 1975, the seven-state Colorado River Basin Salinity Control <br />Forum (Forum) prepared a report which included numeric criteria and <br />a plan of implementation and recommended that each state adopt the <br />report as its Colorado River Basin salinity standards. Each of the <br />Colorado River Basin states adopted the recommended standards which <br />were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in <br />November 1976. <br /> <br />The Clean Water Act requires that water quality standards be <br />reviewed at least once each three-year period. Accordingly, in <br />1978, 1981, 1984, 1987, and again in 1990, the Forum reviewed the <br />existing state-adopted and EPA approved salinity standards. Based <br />on the 1990 Review, the Forum found no reason to recommend changes <br />in the numeric criteria. <br /> <br />The plan of implementation requires that the Forum's permanent <br />Work Group analyze the progress and results of the salinity control <br />program as well as other actions in the Basin which impact on the <br />River's salinity. In addition, the states, through the Forum, have <br />agreed to submit an annual report to the Environmental Protection <br />Agency and to each state's water resource and pollution control <br />agencies summarizing the results achieved by the salinity control <br />program and the effects of other actions in the Basin having an <br />influence on salinity. This report covers the period October 1, <br />1990 to September 30, 1991. <br /> <br />The salinity control activities are moving forward but not as <br />rapidly as had been proposed in the plan of implementation. Fiscal <br />constraints have limited federal funding to carry out the program. <br />The nonfederal partners have their funding in hand and are ready to <br />move forward. As of this reporting period, 230,000 tons of salt <br />are being removed annually from the River system as a result of <br />salinity control activities. By the year 2010, it is estimated <br />that a total of 1,487,000 tons must be removed annually in order to <br />maintain the salinity standards. <br /> <br />The following sections briefly review the historical water <br />supply and use and summarize the progress made on implementing the <br />salinity control program. <br />