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<br />o <br />o <br />N <br />en <br /> <br />Salinity vs Flow at Imperial Dam <br /> <br /> 1000 ., <br /> 800 <br />:J' <br />-- <br />Cl 600 <br />e <br />....... <br />~ 400 " <br />:5 <br />iii <br />Ul 200., "" ,--.-....-.. <br /> 0 <br /> 1940 1950 <br /> <br />Numeric criteria <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Flow <br /> <br />1970 1980 <br />Years <br /> <br />1960 <br /> <br />1990 <br /> <br />Figure 2-2 <br /> <br />Observed Salinity <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />35 <br />30 'C <br />III <br />25 (l) <br />~ <br />20 3l ~ <br />. "If 0 <br />15 e 5 <br />U:!E <br />10 ~ ' <br />3: <br />5 0 <br />u: <br />o <br />2000 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Salinity of the river has fluctuated significantly over the period of record (1941-1997; Figure <br />2-2), Salinity generally decreases in periods of high flow and increases in periods oflow flow as <br />can be seen in Figure 2-2, <br /> <br />Record high flows during the mid-1980's resulted in a reduction in salinity of approximately <br />250 mgIL at hnperial Dam. Conversely, the period from 1988 to 1992 was the driest five years of <br />record historically observed, As a result, salinity in the River gradually increased, Table 2-1 shows <br />the flow-weighted salinity from 1972 to 1997 below Hoover and Parker Dams, and at hnperial Dam, <br /> <br />Water Use and Associated Impacts of Salinity <br /> <br />The Colorado River, from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to its mouth in the Gulf <br />of California, is utilized for a variety of purposes, Aportion of the flow is transported out of the <br />Colorado River Basin for use in adjacent river basins, In the Colorado River Basin, irrigation, <br />municipal and industrial, hydroelectric power generation, power plant cooling, fish and wildlife, and <br />recreation are the major uses ofthe water, <br /> <br />2-4 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br />