january 26, 2012 las vegas, nevada
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Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program Don Barnett Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum. January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada. The “Greatest” Water Quality Improvement Effort in the History of the World. Facts/Results: The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program … - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Colorado River BasinSalinity Control Program
Don BarnettColorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum
January 26, 2012Las Vegas, Nevada
The “Greatest”Water Quality Improvement Effortin the History of the WorldFacts:The Colorado River…
• is more than 1450 miles long
• drains 246,000 sq-miles (1/12 of the continental US)
• has an annual flow of about 16 M acre-feet
• had an annual salt load of approximately 9 million
tons
Facts:The Colorado River supplies…
• drinking water to more than 30 million people
in the US• irrigation water to nearly 4 million acres
Facts:The Colorado River Basin Salinity Program…
• multiple federal agencies (Reclamation, NRCS and BLM)
• 7 states• hundreds of local agencies, organizations and companies
• thousands of individual producers
Facts:The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program…
• existed for more than 35 years
• approximately $555 M spent
• ($384 M in appropriations and $171 M in cost share)
• plus potentially maybe $50- $80M from Program participants
Facts/Results:
The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program…
• reduced the annual salt load by about 1.2M tons
• reduced the concentration at Imperial Dam by 90-100 mg/L
• reduced quantified damages by several hundred million $/yr
• $50/ton
Early 1970’sSalinity Control Program Genesis
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
TDS (
mg/
L)Colorado River
Salinity Concentrations at Numeric Criteria Sites
below Hoover Dam
below Parker Dam
at Imperial Dam
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
TDS (
mg/
L)Colorado River
Salinity Concentrations at Numeric Criteria Sites
below Hoover Dam
below Parker Dam
at Imperial Dam
Early 1970’sSalinity of the Colorado River was rising
Significant concerns by MexicoStates were concerned about the implications of the Clean Water Act
Salinity Control Program Genesis
1973 – created the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum (Forum)
1974 – passed the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act (Act)
1975 – adopted salinity standards for the Colorado River
Salinity Control Program Genesis
Standard (1975)Established the
numeric criteria.
Initiated a Plan of Implementation.
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
TDS (
mg/
L)Colorado River
Salinity Concentrations at Numeric Criteria Sites
below Hoover Dam
below Parker Dam
at Imperial Dam
879 mg/L
747 mg/L723 mg/L
Funded at about $26 M per year$10.8 M – Reclamation $6.9 M – NRCS $0.8 M – BLM $7.9 M – cost share
Had put in place measures which would remove approximately 775,000 tons per year 388,000 tons per year – Reclamation 324,000 tons per year – NRCS 63,000 tons per year – BLM
Salinity Control Program 2001
Funded at about $40 M per year $ 8.1 M – Reclamation $19.7 M – NRCS $ 0.7 M – BLM $ 11.9 M – cost share
Had put in place measures which would remove approximately 1,218,000 tons per year 546,000 tons per year – Reclamation 572,000 tons per year – NRCS 100,000 tons per year – BLM
Salinity Control Program 2011
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
TDS (
mg/
L)Colorado River
Salinity Concentrations at Numeric Criteria Sites
below Hoover Dam
below Parker Dam
at Imperial Dam
Salinity Control Program 2011
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
TDS (
mg/
L)Colorado River
Salinity Concentrations at Numeric Criteria Sites
below Hoover Dam
below Parker Dam
at Imperial Dam
2011 ReviewReviewed the
numeric criteria and determined to not change it.
Identified a Plan of Implementation.
2011 ReviewThere are
currently measures in place to control 1.2 million tons per year.
This equates to about 90-100 mg/L lower TDS at Imperial Dam.
2011 ReviewModeling by Reclamation
shows that without additional salinity control the TDS at Imperial will increase on average by 100 mg/L by 2030.
The Plan of Implementation is to control an additional 644,000 tons by 2030 which will reduce this projected increase by about 50 mg/L.
2011 Review
Table 3Plan of Implementation
Funding Source Tons/YearRECLAMATION (Basinwide Program) 258,000USDA NRCS (EQIP) 186,000BLM 10,000BASIN STATES PROGRAM (Cost Share) 190,000 Basinwide Program 110,000 EQIP Related 80,000
TOTAL 644,000
Reclamation’s Basinwide Program
2010 Funding Opportunity AnnouncementMore than $100 million dollars of proposalsSelected 11 projectsWill control about 39,000 tons of salt annuallyCost of about $35 million dollars
$20 million from appropriations $15 million from cost-share
Will be implemented over the next three to five years
Will open up opportunities for on-farm work
Reclamation’s Basinwide Program
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
$30,000
$35,000
$40,000
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
500,000
550,000
$0 $500
$3,464
$7,600
$12,541$12,044$10,791
$11,497
$8,548$9,547
$8,270$8,474$8,948$7,984
$17,281 (includes $11.115M of ARRA Funding)
$7,604$8,053
$7,000
$14,546$15,419
$16,292$17,165
$18,038$18,910
$19,783$20,656
$21,820$22,983
$24,147$25,311
$26,475$27,929
$29,384$30,838
$32,293
$34,039
Basinwide Program: Funding Based on controlling 19,763 t/yr Beginning in FY 2013
Appropriations Cost Share Target Tons of Salt Control (15,529 t/yr)Actual & Projected Tons of Salt Control (19,763 t/yr)
Appr
opria
tions
($1,
000'
s)
Cum
ulat
ive
Tons
of S
alt
NRCS – EQIP Salinity ControlIn 2011 had about $19 million in funding of
which about $12 million was obligated in EQIP contracts as follows:
State Number of Contracts
Salinity Control (tons)
Contract Amount
($)
Colorado 105 4,100 tons $5.2M
Utah 150 6,200 tons $6.6M
Wyoming 20 600 tons $145,000
NRCS – EQIP Salinity Control
?5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
$ (millions)
Tech. AssistanceBasin StatesEQIPCRBSCPACP
Figure 2. On-farm/Near-farm Expenditures
2012 Farm Bill• Since 1996 on-farm salinity control efforts
have been funded through NRCS’s Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) which was last authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill
• The Colorado River Salinity Control Program is a small piece of EQIP which is a very small piece of the Farm Bill
• Authority under the 2008 Farm Bill expires on September 30, 2012
• 2012 Farm Bill?
Summary
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2,000,000
1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024 2029
Salin
ity C
ontr
ol M
easu
res (
tons
of an
nual
cont
rol)
Colorado RiverCumulative Salinity Control Measures
Summary• Have put measures in place that reduce the salt load
by 1.2 M tons per year or a concentration of 90-100 mg/L
• However, salinity levels are projected to increase by 100 mg/L by 2030 without continuation of the program
• In order to offset that increase by 50 mg/L we need greater funding under Reclamation’s Basinwide Program and continuation of NRCS’s EQIP with current funding levels, and
This is the Greatest water quality improvement effort in the history of the world!