Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program (10.070)
Program
10.070 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program
Federal Agency
NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Authorization
Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974, as amended, Section 202c of Title II, 43 U.S.C. 1592c; Section 201, Public Law 93-320, 88 Stat. 271; Section 2, Public Law 98-569, 98 Stat. 2933, 43 U.S.C. 1592(c).
Program Number
10.070
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To provide financial and technical assistance to: (1) Identify salt source areas; (2) develop project plans to carry out conservation practices to reduce salt loads; (3) install conservation practices to reduce salinity levels; (4) carry out research, education, and demonstration activities; (5) carry out monitoring and evaluation activities; and (6) to decrease salt concentration and salt loading which causes increased salinity levels within in the Colorado River and to enhance the supply and quality of water available for use in the United States and the Republic of Mexico.
Types of Assistance
Direct Payments for Specified Use.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Eligible owners or operators in approved project areas may receive cost-share assistance to treat salinity problems caused by agricultural irrigation activities.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
A participant may be any of the following: an owner, landlord, operator, or tenant of eligible lands: Individual, Indian tribe, partnership, firm, association, corporation, joint stock company, conservation district, estate, trust, irrigation district or company, and State or local public or nonpublic entity not described above.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Any person in the Colorado River basin will benefit who uses or reuses water for irrigation, domestic, municipal or industrial water supply or for fish and wildlife habitat.
Credentials/Documentation
Any eligible landowner or operator who controls land in an identified salt source area is eligible to apply for cost-share assistance. This program is currently available in Mesa, Delta, Montezuma, and Montrose counties, Colorado; Duchesne and Uintah counties, Utah; Sweetwater county, Wyoming. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure
Eligible persons may make application on Form SCS-LTP-001. CRSC contracts may be requested during sign-up periods throughout the year at the local NRCS office in the county where the land is located. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure
The designated project Contracting officer may approve applications within the project allocation of Federal funds for cost-share assistance.
Deadlines
None.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Participants may appeal any determination to the National Appeals Division, Washington, DC.
Renewals
Certain practice approvals may be extended by the contracting Offices.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Cost-share assistance levels may be funded up to 70 percent of total cost.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Long-term contracts of 3 to 10 years. Cost-share assistance is paid when the practice is performed.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
None.
Audits
Subject to audit by Office of the Inspector General, USDA.
Records
Records are maintained in the NRCS office and Federal record centers for a specified number of years.
Program Accomplishments
At the end of FY 2001, there were 118 remaining active contracts with cost share practices valued in excess of $875,000 remaining to be implemented on over 6,370 acres. This program is operated in 6 project areas in 3 States (Colorado, Utah and Wyoming).
Financial Information
Account Identification
12-3318-0-1-304.
Obligations
(Direct payments) FY 02 $649,873; FY 03 est $832,145; and FY 04 est $0.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
The range has not been identified. Average: $20,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Guidelines are announced through the news media and in letters to agricultural producers in the county.
Related Programs
10.072, Wetlands Reserve Program; 10.064, Forestry Incentives Program; 10.902, Soil and Water Conservation; 10.904, Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention; 10.900, Great Plains Conservation; 10.912, Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Consult the local telephone directory for location of the local NRCS field office. If there is no listing, get in touch with the appropriate State NRCS office listed in the NRCS section of Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Headquarters Office
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013. Telephone: (202) 720-1873. Use the same number for FTS.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
For the past several fiscal years, salinity control activities were funded under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
The type and severity of salinity problems; the need to correlate on the farm conservation treatment with canal and lateral improvement; estimated cost; extent of the salinity problem; proximity to water bodies; land use charges; offsite effects; onsite environmental effects; other resource problems; seasonal nature of salinity reduction practices to be installed; applicants' ability to complete practices in the shortest time practical; and positive or negative effects on wildlife.
