An act to increase the appropriations ceiling for title I of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act (the Act of June 24, 1974; 88 Stat. 266), to increase the appropriations authorization for the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956 (70 Stat. 1044), and for other purposes.
PL 96-336 (S.496), enacted 09/04/1980

PUBLIC LAW 96-336—SEPT. 4, 1980 
94 STAT. 1063 
Public Law 96-336 
96th Congress 
An Act 
To increase the appropriations ceiling for title I of the Colorado River Basin Salinity 
Control Act (the Act of June 24, 1974; 88 Stat. 266), to increase the appropriations 
authorization for the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956 (70 Stat. 1044), and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That the Act of June 
24, 1974 (hereafter referred to as the "Act"), is hereby amended as 
follows: 
SECTION 1. Section 101(b)(2) is amended, by inserting "(A)" after 
"(2)", by deleting the last sentence of the paragraph, and by adding 
thereafter the following: 
"(B) The Secretary is authorized to use electrical power and energy 
available from the Navajo Generating Station which is in excess of 
the Central Arizona Project pumping requirements for the purpose of 
supplying power and energy requirements of the desalting plant and 
protective pumping well field constructed pursuant to title I of the 
Act: Provided, That revenues credited to the Lower Colorado River 
Basin Development Fund shall not be diminished below those 
amounts which would have accrued had the power been marketed at 
the rate determined by the Secretary of Energy for the sale of power 
from the Navajo Generating Station to utilities and public entities, as 
a result of the use of power and energy for the desalting, protective 
pumping works, and other uses authorized by law, and that power 
and energy from the Navajo Generating Station shall be used first to 
meet the pumping requirements of the Central Arizona Project and 
after those needs have been met, for the desalting and protective 
pumping facilities constructed pursuant to title I of the Act, and 
finally for other uses: Provided further. That prior to obtaining power 
from the Navajo Generating Station under the authority of this 
subsection, the Secretary shall complete an analysis of alternative 
sources of supply, including but not limited to the possibility of 
developing an agreement with the Republic of Mexico whereby the 
United States (or a non-Federal entity) would enter into contractual 
arrangements with Mexico for a sufficient supply of power to operate 
the desalting plant, the regulatory pumping fields and appurtenant 
facilities. 
"(C) Effective October 1, 1979, and to such extent and in such 
amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts, the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to purchase supplemental 
power and energy as required for the purposes of supplying the power 
and energy requirements of the desalting plant and protective 
pumping well field.". 
SEC. 2. Section 101(c) is amended by inserting ", Colorado River 
waters used for the mitigation of fish and wildlife habitat losses" 
after "from the desalting plant" in two places. 
SEC. 3. Section 103(a) of the Act is amended by adding a new 
subsection (4) as follows: 
Sept. 4, 1980 
[S. 496] 
Colorado River 
Basin Salinity 
Control Act and 
Small 
Reclamation 
Projects Act of 
1956, 
amendments. 
43 u s e 1571 
note. 
43 u s e 422k. 
43 u s e 1571. 
43 u s e 1571. 
Supplemental 
power and 
energy purchase. 
Effective date. 
43 u s e 1573. 
94 STAT. 1064 
PUBLIC LAW 96-336—SEPT. 4, 1980 
Contracts. 
Effective date. 
43 u s e 485h. 
43 u s e 1576, 
1577. 
Administration 
and disposal of 
lands. 
43 u s e 1575a. 
43 u s e 1578. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
43 use 
1571-1573, infra. 
43 u s e 1574. 
Effective date. 
43 u s e 1579. 
Land acquisition 
and disposal. 
"(4) Effective October 1, 1979, and to such extent and in such 
amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts, enter 
into contracts under the terms and conditions of the Act of June 
17,1902 (43 U.S.C. 371 et seq.) as amended and supplemented for 
the delivery of water from said well field to entities within the 
United States for municipal and industrial or irrigation pur-
poses: Provided, That such contracts for municipal and industrial 
purposes shall contain terms and conditions as substantially 
provided in section 9(c)(1) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, 
and that contracts for replacement irrigation water supplies to 
prevent damage to existing water users on privately developed 
lands include water charges no greater than if such water users 
had continued to pump their own wells without the United 
States lowering the water table and that the acreage limitation 
and related provisions of the Reclamation Law will not be 
applicable to such privately developed lands: Provided further, 
That no contract shall be entered which will impair the ability of 
the United States to continue to deliver to Mexico on the land 
boundary at San Luis and in the Limitrophe Section of the 
Colorado River downstream from Morelos Dam approximately 
one hundred and forty thousand acre-feet annually, consistent 
with the terms contained in Minute No. 242 of the IBWC". 
SEC. 4. A new section 106 shall be added to the Act, as follows, and 
succeeding sections shall be renumbered accordingly: 
"SEC. 106. The Secretary is hereby authorized to administer and 
dispose of lands and interests in lands acquired, and facilities con-
structed under this title, and revenues received in connection with 
this authoritj^ shall be credited to the general fund of the Treasury.". 
SEC. 5. Section 108 of the Act is changed to section 109 and effective 
October 1, 1979, is amended by striking the first sentence and 
inserting in lieu thereof: "There is hereby authorized to be appropri-
ated the sum of $356,400,000 for the construction of the works and 
accomplishment of the purposes authorized in sections 101, 102,103, 
and 110, of which $3,579,000 is authorized for mitigation of fish and 
wildlife losses associated with replacement of the Coachella Canal in 
California, and $6,960,000 is authorized for mitigation of fish and 
wildlife losses associated with the Desalting Complex Unit and the 
Protective and Regulatory Pumping Unit in Arizona, based on 
January 1979, prices plus or minus such amounts as may be justified 
by reason of ordinary fluctuation in construction costs involved 
therein, and such sums as may be required to operate and maintain 
such works and to provide for such modifications as may be made 
pursuant to section 104. In order to provide for the utilization of 
significant improvements in desalinization technologies which may 
have been developed since the Bureau's evaluation, the Secretary is 
directed to evaluate such cost effective improvements and implement 
such improved designs into the plant operations when the evaluation 
indicates that cost savings will result: Provided, however. That no 
more than five percent of the amount authorized to be appropriated is 
used for these purposes.". 
SEC. 6. A new section 110 shall be added to the Act, as follows: 
"SEC. 110. Effective October 1,1979, and to such extent and in such 
amounts as are provided in advance in appropriate Acts, in order to 
provide measures determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be 
appropriate to mitigate loss of fish and wildlife habitat associated 
with other measures taken under this title: 
"(a) The Secretary is authorized to— 
"(1) acquire lands by purchase, eminent domain, or 
exchange; 
PUBLIC LAW 96-336—SEPT. 4, 1980 
94 STAT. 1065 
"(2) dispose of land, facilities, and equipment; 
"(3) construct, operate, maintain, and make replace-
ments of facilities: Provided, however. That no funds will 
be provided for operation, maintenance, or replacement of 
non-Federal facilities. 
"(b) All costs authorized by this section are nonreimbursable.". 
SEC. 7. A new section 111 shall be added to the Act, as follows: 
"SEC. 111. As used in this title: 
"(a) Navajo Generating Station means— 
"(1) the United States entitlement to a portion of the 
output of power and energy from the Navajo Generating 
Station, Page, Arizona, pursuant to United States participa-
tion in that generating station; 
"(2) in the event that said United States entitlement is 
integrated with other generating facilities, then Navajo 
Generating Station means that amount of power and energy 
from the integrated system which is attributable to the 
United States Navajo entitlement; 
"(3) when the Navajo Generating Station is replaced at the 
end of its useful life or an alternative resource is established, 
then Navajo Generating Station means an amount of power 
and energy equivalent to the present United States entitle-
ment from Navajo, from the replacement resource. 
"(b) All terms used herein that are defined in the Colorado 
River Compact shall have the meanings therein defined.". 
SEC. 8. The Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956 (70 Stat. 1044) 
as amended, is further amended as follows: 
(a) Effective October 1,1980, section 10, as amended, is further 
amended by deleting "$400,000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof 
the amount of "$600,000,000". 
O
b
) Subsection (c) of section 5, as amended, is further amended 
by adding the following: "Except that portion of said allocation 
attributable to furnishing benefits to a facility operated by an 
agency of the United States, which portion shall bear no 
interest;". 
Approved September 4, 1980. 
Facility 
construction. 
43 u s e 1580. 
Navajo 
Generating 
Station. 
43 u s e 422k. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
43 u s e 422j. 
43 u s e 422e. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 96-177 accompanying H.R. 2609 (Oomm. on Interior and Insular 
Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 96-181 (eomm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 125 (1979): June 4, considered and passed Senate. 
Vol. 126 (1980): Feb. 7, H.R. 2609 considered and passed House; passage vacated 
and S. 496, amended, passed in lieu. 
June 24, Senate concurred in House amendments with amend-
ments. 
Aug. 21, House concurred in Senate amendments.