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<br />In <br />~ <br />co <br />.-j <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <br /> <br />The project will additionally contribute to increased salinity of <br />the Colorado River Water delivered to Mexico. Salinity of the Colorado <br />River has been cited by the President of the Republic of Mexico as the <br />most important issue between the United States and Mexico. That the <br />quality of Colorado River water entering Mexico is a matter of consid- <br />erable national concern is further evidenced by the recent appointment <br />by President Nixon of Mr. Herbert Brownell, Jr. to head a task force to <br />evaluate the problem and recommend a course of action to the President <br />in the near future. <br /> <br />This expected increase in salinity is not in accordance with the <br />objective of maintaining salinity concentrations at or below levels <br />presently found in the lower main stem of the Colorado River as adopted <br />at the Seventh Session of the Conference on Pollution of the Interstate <br />Waters of the Colorado River and its Tributaries, February 15-17 and <br />April 26-27, 1972. <br /> <br />In lieu of providing storage in project reservoirs for mineral <br />quality control, salinity control features should be included as part <br />of the proposed project to mitigate the expected adverse effect of the <br />project on mineral quality. These salinity control features should be <br />installed and operated anywhere in the Colorado River Basin where they <br />are found to be effective and efficient. <br /> <br />Present and projected municipal, industrial, and rural domestic <br />waste loads wi thin the proj ect area can be controlled with adequate <br />treatment at the source. Thus, no storage in project reservoirs is <br />needed to provide flow regulation to maintain minimum streamflow for <br />the purpose of assimilating residual organic wastes. <br /> <br />It is probable that project reservoirs will provide diversified <br />recreational opportunities, such as picnicking, camping, fiShing, and <br />boating. Recreational uses expected at the reservoirs are potential <br />sources of pollution that, if not properly controlled, could create <br />local water quality problems both in the reservoirs and in downstream <br />reaches. Sanitary waste disposal systems with no surface effluent dis- <br />charges will be required at all recreation areas. In addition, facilities <br />to receive and treat the contents of boat wasteholding tanks and containers <br />should be provided at appropriate locations. Provisions should also be <br />made to require that fuel dispensing equipment on docks be provided with <br />safety features that will prevent the accidental discharge of petroleum <br />products to the reservoirs. The essential features of waste disposal <br />facilities for recreational areas should be submitted to the Environmental <br />Protection Agency during the early stages of planning. <br /> <br />The quality of waters entering Blue Mesa Reservoir, located imme- <br />diately below the project area, should be monitored for nutrient concen- <br />tration. It is the opinion of many authorities in the field of eutro- <br />phication that to prevent biological nuisances, total phosphorus <br /> <br />55 <br />