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Controlling the salinity of the Colorado River remains one of the most important challenges facing Reclamation. The Colorado River provides water for more than 23 million people and irrigation for more than 4 million acres of land in the United States, as well as water for about 2.3 million people and 500,000 irrigated acres in the Republic of Mexico. High salinity levels in the river disrupt agricultural production by making it difficult to grow vegetable and fruit crops. Furthermore, the salt corrodes municipal lines and household pipes. Salinity damages in the United States portion of the Colorado River Basin range between $500 million to $750 million per year, and could exceed $1.5 billion per year if future increases in salinity are not controlled. The purpose of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program is to protect and improve the water quality in the Colorado River.

The purpose of the proposed action is to replace the Hancock Canal, Martin Lateral, and State Road Canal with new pipelines. These pipelines would reduce seepage from the unlined portions of the existing canals and laterals. This seepage dissolves salts in the soils and eventually carries the salts to the Upper Colorado River Basin. The proposed action is needed to reduce the salinity contributions to the Upper Colorado River Basin that result from the existing Hancock Canal, Martin Lateral, and State Road Canal, consistent with the purposes of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program.