Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act


The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93-320, and the laws authorizing three other conservation cost-sharing programs were begun June 24, 1974. In the 1996 farm bill, Public Law 104-127, they were repealed and replaced by a new cost-sharing program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Program - Public Law 93-320

The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93-320, was enacted 24 June 1974. The SCA was an Act to authorize the construction, operation, and maintenance of certain works in the Colorado River Basin to control the salinity of water delivered to users in the United States and Mexico.
The law was administered by the Farm Service Agency until FY1996, when management was transferred to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Participation

Until it was replaced, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program provided cost-sharing assistance to producers to install on-farm irrigation
system improvements to prevent irrigation water heavily charged with salts and minerals from reentering the Colorado River. Participating farmers received up to 70% of total project costs and technical assistance. Participation was concentrated at sites where problems existed. This program was available to producers in the seven states of the Colorado River watershed.

Amendments - Public Law 93-320

The SCA has been amended five times:
PL98-569 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to develop and implement a voluntary on-farm program by:
PL98-569 also authorized the Bureau of Land Management to proceed with planning for the Sinbad Valley Unit and to develop a program to minimize salt contributions to the Colorado River from lands administered by the BLM.

Amendments - Public Law 98-569

Public Law 98-569 amendments included: