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

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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 Presentation

Transcript of January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

Page 1: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

Colorado River BasinSalinity Control Program

Don BarnettColorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum

January 26, 2012Las Vegas, Nevada

Page 2: January 26, 2012 Las 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

Page 3: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

Early 1970’sSalinity Control Program Genesis

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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

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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

Page 4: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

Page 5: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

Page 6: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

Standard (1975)Established the

numeric criteria.

Initiated a Plan of Implementation.

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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

Page 7: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

Page 8: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

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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

Page 9: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

Salinity Control Program 2011

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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

Page 10: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

2011 ReviewReviewed the

numeric criteria and determined to not change it.

Identified a Plan of Implementation.

Page 11: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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.

Page 12: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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.

Page 13: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

Page 14: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

Page 15: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

Reclamation’s Basinwide Program

1995

1996

1997

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1999

2000

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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

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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

Page 17: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

NRCS – EQIP Salinity Control

?5

10

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40

$ (millions)

Tech. AssistanceBasin StatesEQIPCRBSCPACP

Figure 2. On-farm/Near-farm Expenditures

Page 18: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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?

Page 19: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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

Page 20: January 26, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada

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!