At its meeting on May 13, 2026, the Forum adopted its draft 2026 Review, Water Quality Standards for Salinity, Colorado River System for public comment. Those wishing to comment on the 2026 Review should send written comments to the below address. Comments must be received by August 15, 2026.

The Forum has released a Program Video and Trailer which provide an overview of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. A new interactive map for salinity in the Colorado River Basin has been created by the USGS which provides users with the opportunity to better visualize salinity sources and controls.

Recognizing the rapidly increasing salinity concentration in the Lower Colorado River and its impact on water users, the Colorado River Basin States came together in 1973 and organized the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum (Forum).  In 1974, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and the U.S. State Department, the Forum worked with Congress in the passage of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act (Act).  Title I of the Act deals with the United States’ salinity commitments to Mexico.  Title II of the Act creates the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program (Program) which focuses on improving the water quality of the Colorado River to U.S. users above Imperial Dam.

Since implementation of the Program, measures have been put in place which now reduce the annual salt load of the Colorado River by more than 1.3 million tons.  The salinity concentration at Hoover, Parker and Imperial Dams has been reduced by about 100 mg/L.  However, even with these efforts the quantified damages to U.S. users are still approximately $348 million per year.  Damages are projected to increase to $447 million per year by 2040 if the Program does not continue to be aggressively implemented.