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<br />(') Commencing in early 1969, the Board undertook a comprehensive review of the entire <br /> <br />~.. <br />~ <br /> <br />salinity problem. These studies ,./ere reported in the Board's 1970 report, "Need <br /> <br />;:,.r' for Controlling Salinity of the Colorado River". <br /> <br />In February 1972, the Bureau of Reclamation, responding to the urging of <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin interests that were concerned about the trends of rising <br /> <br />salinities revealed in the t1~O earlier reports, developed a program to control <br /> <br />salini ty, the highlights of which were published as "Colorado . River Water Quality <br /> <br />Improvement Program". <br /> <br />The EPA convened a meeting in February 1972, formally identified as the <br /> <br />"Seventh Session of the Conference in the Matter of Pollution of the Interstate <br /> <br />Waters of the Colorado River". At a reconvened meeting of the same "Seventh Ses- <br /> <br />sion", the Bureau of Reclamation program was presented and the conferees, composed <br /> <br />of representatives from the seven Colorado River Basin states and the EPA, unani- <br /> <br />mously adopted a set of conclusions and recommendations that were subsequently <br /> <br />approved by the Administrator of EPA. The key points of the recommendations by <br /> <br />the conferees were (1) salinity concentrations should be maintained at or below <br /> <br />levels presently found in the lower main stem, while the Upper Basin continues to <br /> <br />develop its compact apportioned waters; (2) the Bureau of Reclamation's salinity <br /> <br />control program offers the best prospect for achieving the objective and such a <br /> <br />program should be implemented on an accelerated basis; and, (3) immediate action <br /> <br />be initiated so as to achieve by 1977, the removal of 400,000 tons of salts a year <br /> <br />from salinity control projects. <br /> <br />Harmful Impact of Salinity <br /> <br />The harmful impact of high salinity water is felt by both irrigators and <br /> <br />municipal and industrial users. Irrigation farmers are affected through reduced <br /> <br />crop yields, the inability to grow high value-salt sensitive crops, and increased <br /> <br />4 <br />