The Colorado River and its tributaries provide municipal and industrial water to about 27 million people and irrigation water to nearly four million acres of land in the United States. The river also serves about 2.3 million people and 500,000 acres in Mexico. The threat of salinity is a major concern in both the Unites States and Mexico. Salinity affects agricultural, municipal, and industrial water users.
In June 1974, Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93-320, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to proceed with a program to enhance and protect the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the United States and Republic of Mexico. In October 1984, Congress amended the original act by passing Public Law 98-569.
Public Law 104-20 of July 28, 1995, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to implement a basinwide salinity control program. The Secretary may carry out the purposes of this legislation directly, or make grants, enter into contracts, memoranda of agreement, commitments for grants, cooperative agreements, or advances of funds to non-federal entities under such terms and conditions as the Secretary may require.
The Huntington-Cleveland Salinity Control Project under construction near the communities of Huntington, Cleveland and Elmo in central Utah, represents a significant component of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program.
Significant salinity control results from the implementation of measures on private agricultural lands. The Bureau of Reclamation's Basin States Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provide cost share assistance to landowners who install salinity control measures. See Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 of the Quality of Water Report below.
Resources
Colorado River Basin Annual Flow / Salinity Data: [ PDF ] [ Excel ]
Funding Opportunity Announcement - 08-SF-40-2742 (link to Grants.gov)
Required Electronic Application Format for FOA - 08-SF-40-2742 (Word Document)
Request For Proposals - 06-SF-40-2459 (PDF - January 2006)
Mancos Valley Salinity Control Project Plan and Environmental Assessment
Natural Flow and Salt Computation Methods [ Final ] 1971 - 1995 (PDF - 4 MB)
Statistical Nonparametric Model For Natural Salt Estimation (PDF - 134 KB)
Quality of Water - Colorado River Basin Progress Report 21 (January 2003)
Quality of Water - Colorado River Basin Progress Report 22 (2005)
Request For Proposals - Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program (April 2003)
Water Quality Standards For Salinity - Colorado River System (June 2005 - Triennial Report)
Colorado River System Consumptive Uses and Losses Reports
Arizona Portion of the Upper Colorado River Basin Consumptive Uses and Losses Reports
Natural Resources Conservation Service Colorado River Basin Salinity Web site
United States Department of Agriculture Salinity Program Web site
USDA Monitoring & Evaluation Reports for Salinity Projects
Monthly Salinity Data at 20 Key Stations in Colorado River Basin
Green River near Greendale, UT Duchesne River near Randlett, UT Green River near Green River, UT Colorado River near Glenwood Springs, CO Gunnison River near Grand Junction, CO Colorado River near Cisco, UT San Juan River near Bluff, UT Colorado River near Grand Canyon Colorado River below Hoover Dam Colorado River at Imperial Dam Green River near Green River WY Yampa River near Maybell, CO White River near Watson, UT San Rafael River near Green River, UT Colorado River near Cameo, CO Dolores River near Cisco, UT San Juan River near Archuleta, NM Colorado River at Lees Ferry, AZ Virgin River at Littlefield, AZ Colorado River below Parker Dam