2017 Review Water Quality Standards for Salinity Colorado River System October 2017 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum 2017 Review WATER QUALITY STANDARDS FOR SALINITY COLORADO RIVER SYSTEM October 2017 Prepared by Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL FORUM MEMBERS ARIZONA Clint Chandler, Assistant Director Department of Water Resources Krista Osterberg, Surface Water Section Manager, Water Quality Division Department of Environmental Quality Suzanne Ticknor, Director of Water Policy Central Arizona Water Conservation District CALIFORNIA Bill Hasencamp, Manager, Colorado River Resources Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Thomas Howard, Executive Director State Water Resources Control Board Tanya Trujillo, Executive Director Colorado River Board of California COLORADO Rebecca Mitchell, Director Colorado Water Conservation Board Patrick Pfaltzgraff, Director, Water Quality Control Division Department of Public Health and Environment David W. Robbins, Attorney at Law NEVADA John J. Entsminger, General Manager Southern Nevada Water Authority Jayne Harkins, Executive Director Colorado River Commission of Nevada Jason King, State Engineer, Division of Water Resources Department of Conservation and Natural Resources NEW MEXICO Tom Blaine, New Mexico State Engineer Trais Kliphuis, Director, Water Protection Division Environment Department UTAH Eric Millis, Director, Division of Water Resources Department of Natural Resources Kim Shelley, Assistant Director, Water Quality Division Department of Environmental Quality Gawain Snow, General Manager Uintah Water Conservancy District WYOMING Chad Espenscheid, Engineer/Rancher Patrick T. Tyrrell, Wyoming State Engineer David Waterstreet, Program Manager, Water Quality Division Department of Environmental Quality FORUM Don A. Barnett, Executive Director Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum i The Colorado River Basin (2012 Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study) ii TRANSMITTAL LETTERS The Federal Water Pollution Control Act requires that at least once every three years the Basin States review water quality standards relating to the salinity of the Colorado River. The states collectively initiated this review under direction of the Forum. The Forum prepared a draft review and, after providing an opportunity for public comment, prepared this final 2017 Review. With the adoption of this final review, copies are being sent to the Colorado River Basin State Governors listed below for inclusion within their individual state water quality standards. Honorable Douglas A. Ducey Honorable Susana Martinez Governor of Arizona Governor of New Mexico State Capitol State Capitol Phoenix, AZ 85007 Santa Fe, NM 87503 Honorable Jerry Brown Honorable Gary R. Herbert Governor of California Governor of Utah State Capitol State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Salt Lake City, UT 84114 Honorable John W. Hickenlooper Honorable Matthew H. Mead Governor of Colorado Governor of Wyoming State Capitol State Capitol Denver, CO 80203 Cheyenne, WY 82002 Honorable Brian Sandoval Governor of Nevada State Capitol Carson City, NV 89701 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 208 Plan Section 208 of the Clean Water Act amendments of 1972 and 1977 requiring integrated area-wide plans and programs for dealing with water pollution problems Act The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act (P.L. 93-320) (1974), as amended by P.L. 98-569 (1984), P.L. 104-20 (1995), P.L. 104-127 (1996), P.L. 106-459 (2000), P.L. 107-171 (2002) and P.L. 110-246 (2008) Basin Colorado River Basin Basin Funds Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund and Upper Colorado River Basin Fund Basin States Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming BSP Basin States Program Basinwide Program Basinwide Salinity Control Program BLM United States Bureau of Land Management Clean Water Act P.L. 92-500 Congress United States Congress CRSS Colorado River Simulation System EQIP Environmental Quality Incentives Program EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Forum Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum Ktons Thousand tons of salt maf million acre-feet mgd million gallons per day mg/L milligrams per liter Mtons Million tons of salt NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service Program Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program Reclamation United States Bureau of Reclamation Review 2017 Review, Water Quality Standards for Salinity, Colorado River System TDS Total Dissolved Solids TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load USDA United States Department of Agriculture WWTP Waste Water Treatment Plant iv TABLE OF CONTENTS COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL FORUM MEMBERS............................................. i COLORADO RIVER BASIN MAP ............................................................................................................. ii TRANSMITTAL LETTERS ....................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ v SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 1 PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 3 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 4 UNDERSTANDING THE SALINITY OF THE COLORADO RIVER ..................................................... 7 PROVISION FOR REVIEWING AND REVISING THE STANDARD .................................................. 10 NUMERIC CRITERIA ............................................................................................................................... 10 PLAN OF IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................................................... 11 General .............................................................................................................................. 11 Constructed Measures ...................................................................................................... 12 Accomplishments and Future Control ............................................................................. 13 Forum Policies and NPDES Permits ................................................................................. 19 State Water Quality Management Plans ........................................................................... 19 CONCLUSION AND ADOPTION OF THE STANDARDS .................................................................... 28 FUTURE PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................... 29 TABLES Table 1 Control Measures in Place through 2017 .......................................................................... 15 Table 2 Additional Controls – Plan of Implementation 2020 ....................................................... 16 Table 3 Remaining Potential Salinity Control (2018-2035) ......................................................... 17 Table 4 Plan of Implementation Levels Modeled by CRSS ......................................................... 30 Table 5 Annual Damages and Damage Reductions ....................................................................... 32 v FIGURES Figure 1 2015 (Calendar Year) Generalized Flow and Salinity Concentrations Across the Colorado River Basin .................................................................................................... 8 Figure 2 Flow Weighted Average Annual Salt Concentrations at Numeric Criteria Stations ......... 9 Figure 3 Salinity Control Program Impact below Hoover Dam ..................................................... 14 Figure 4 Salinity Control Program Impact below Parker Dam ....................................................... 14 Figure 5 Salinity Control Program Impact at Imperial Dam ........................................................... 15 Figure 6 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum Project Areas ........................................... 18 Figure 7 Projected Annual Average Salinity Concentration below Hoover Dam ........................... 30 Figure 8 Projected Annual Average Salinity Concentration below Parker Dam ............................ 31 Figure 9 Projected Annual Average Salinity Concentration at Imperial Dam ................................ 31 APPENDICES Appendix A Flow Weighted Salinity Values at the Three Numeric Criteria Stations ....................... A-1 Appendix B Forum Policies Policy for Implementation of Colorado River Salinity Standards Through the NPDES Permit Program .......................................................................................... B-1 NPDES Permit Program Policy for Implementation of Colorado River Salinity Standards .................................................................................................... B-5 Attachment 1 - Guidance on New Construction Determination .......................... B-15 Policy for Use of Brackish and/or Saline Waters for Industrial Purposes .................. B-16 Policy