Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act
Public Law 93-320 · H.R. 12165 · 93rd Congress · began in the House
Signed by Richard Nixon (R) on Jun 24, 1974 · Water Resources Development
Sponsor: Rep. Harold Johnson (D-CA-2)
Cosponsors (11): Rep. Craig Hosmer, Rep. Teno Roncalio,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act - =Title I: Programs Downstream from Imperial Dam= - Authorizes and directs the Secretary of the Interior to proceed with a program of works of improvement for the enhancement and protection of the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the United States and the Republic of Mexico, in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
Authorizes the Secretary to construct, operate, and maintain a desalting complex, including: (1) a desalting plant to reduce the salinity of drain water from the Wellton-Mohawk division of the Gila project, Arizona; (2) the necessary appurtenant works including the intake pumping plant system, product waterline, power transmission facilities, and permanent operating facilities; (3) the necessary extension of the existing bypass drain to carry the reject stream from the desalting plant and other drainage waters to the Santa Clara Slough in Mexico, subject to arrangements made pursuant to this Act; (4) replacement of the metal flume in the existing main outlet drain extension with a concrete siphon; (5) reduction of irrigation return flows through acquisition of lands to reduce the size of the division, and irrigation efficiency improvements to limit return flows; and (6) all associated facilities including roads, railroad, and transmission lines.
Requires that the Secretary shall use sources of electric power supply for the desalting complex that will not diminish the supply power to preference customers from Federal power systems operated by the Secretary.
Authorizes the appropriation of $155,500,000 to accomplish the purposes of this title.
=Title II: Measures Upstream from Imperial Dam= - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement the salinity control policy adopted for the Colorado River in the "Conclusions and Recommendations" published in the Proceedings of the Reconvened Seventh Session of the Conference in the Matter of Pollution of the Interstate Waters of the Colorado River and Its Tributaries in the States of California, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming, held in Denver, Colorado, on April 26-27, 1972, under the authority of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Enumerates salinity control units which the Secretary is authorized to construct, operate, and maintain as the initial stage of the Colorado River Basin salinity control program.
Creates the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council composed of no more than three members from each State appointed by the Governor of each of the Colorado River Basin States. States that the purpose of the Council is to review, and make recommendations in regard to, activities conducted pursuant to this Act.
Authorizes the appropriation of $125,100,000 for the construction of works and otherwise carrying out the purposes of this title. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to pay condemnation awards in connection with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 9 actions.
- Jun 24, 1974Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 93-320.
- Jun 18, 1974PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Jun 13, 1974Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment.
- Jun 12, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, in lieu of S. 2940.
- Jun 11, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #288 (403-8).House roll call 288
- May 22, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Jan 21, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.