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<br />1 <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br />f\:l <br />00 <br />0) <br /> <br />I INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The waters of the Colorado River system serve millions of people <br /> <br />in many ways. It is a vital link in sustaining cities and farms, <br /> <br />mines and industry, recreational space and wildlife, and areas of <br /> <br />great aesthetic value to the Nation. The water is used for irri- <br /> <br />gating crops, producing energy, providing recreation, sustaining <br /> <br />cattle and wildlife, s\~porting industry, and s~plying the common <br /> <br />daily needs of people for drinking, .washing, bathing, cleaning, <br /> <br />heating, cooling, watering lawns and gardens, protecting property, <br /> <br />and removing wastes. These many uses place varying demands not <br /> <br />only on the quantity but allo on the quality of water. In the <br /> <br />Colorado River, quantity and quality are inseparable. Tomorrow's <br /> <br />needs are to be met by augmenting quantity and improving quality. <br /> <br /> <br />The latter is the concern of this report and is to be regarded as <br /> <br />an integrated facet of an overall comprehensive basin management <br /> <br />plan for use and development of the water resources. <br /> <br />At its headwaters, the Colorado River has a total dissolved solids <br /> <br />concentration of SO mg/l 11 or less. As the water moves downstream <br />through this vast arid region, there is a gradual increase in salinity <br /> <br />1/ Refers to milligrams per liter. This unit is nearly equivalent to <br />parts per million (ppm) up to concentrations of 7,000 mg/l. <br />