SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE_2005-CURRENT

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through March 31.14 Although the plan was adopted in 1991, it did not require the EC objectives to be fully implemented until 1996. The table also includes the statement that, if a contract has been negotiated between the Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the South Delta Water Association, that contract will be reviewed prior to implementation of the specified EC standard for the southern Delta, and appropriate revisions will be made to the objectives after considering the needs of other beneficial uses. Rather than focusing primarily on meeting water quality objectives through regulation of discharges, the 1991 Delta Plan provides "the State Board recognizes that the flow requirements and salinity objectives are largely to be met by the regulation of water flow." (1991 Delta Plan, p. 2-2.) With respect to reducing the quantity of salt in the southern Delta area, the State Board established a goal of reducing the salt load discharged to the San Joaquin River by at least 10 percent and estimated that goal could be met through increased irrigation efficiency to reduce subsurface drainage. The State Board referred to development of a salt load reduction policy, the goals of which"should be achieved through development of best management practices and waste discharge requirements for non-point source dischargers." (1991 Delta Plan p. 7-5.) In May 1995, the State Board adopted a revised water quality control plan for the Delta. ("Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary, 95-1 WR, May 1995"(1995 Delta Plan).) The 1995 Delta Plan delayed the implementation date for the EC objectives in the southern Delta until December 31, 1997. (1995 Delta Plan, p. 17, Table 2.) In discussing the implementation program for meeting the southern Delta agricultural salinity objectives, the Plan states: "Elevated salinity in the southern Delta is caused by low flows, salts imported in irrigation water by the State and federal water projects, and discharges of land-derived salts primarily from agricultural drainage. Implementation of the objectives will be accomplished through the release of adequate flows to the San Joaquin River and control of saline agricultural drainage to the San Joaquin River and its tributaries. Implementation of the Delta,the plans discuss the effects that agricultural irrigation return flows have had on the increased discharge of salt to the Delta and Delta tributaries. 4 The values were specified as maximum 30-day running averages of mean daily EC. 7.