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<br />efficiency viewpoint. !)e pursued untl1 the rr.ar;inal Costs of removing a ton of <br /> <br />o <br />c;> <br /><:n <br /> <br />. - <br />,,' <br /> <br />salt equal the marginal damages avoided by its remova1.8 <br /> <br /> <br />Uostream Water Users' R1chts - If irrigators continue tr.eir traditional <br /> <br />cropping practices ..ith no 1iabl1ity for salt accur.:ulating in tf'.a rlver. then <br /> <br /> <br />potential tenefic1aries of salinity control would be required to pay program <br /> <br />costs. In hct. they ..aula be expected to pa)' up to the point where rr:ar;1nal <br /> <br />damages avoided equal marginal costs. <br /> <br />As est 1mated elsewhere, (Gardner and Young), downstre41:l 1 rrigators suffer <br /> <br />damages al'flOunt1ng to S4 per ton of salt in irrigation water. whl1e municipal <br /> <br />interests would be ..1111ng to pay ~s much as S22 per ton. Upper Sasin farmers <br /> <br />would only ..1111ngly pay for labor sa~ings and producti~fty increases result1ng <br /> <br />from the program. The federal govern~ent under this entitlement scenaric would <br /> <br />onl)' pay for benefits accruing to the nation as a whole. This might include <br /> <br />the cost of meeting salinity agreements ..ith Mexico. <br /> <br />A Svnthesfs - An intermediate vfew compromfses the conflfcting entitlement <br /> <br />pos1tions. contending that there are gOOd reasons for both upstream and <br /> <br />do"nstrearn water users to share the cost of salinity contrel (see also <br /> <br />Marshall). <br /> <br />Downstream users recefve the benefits from sa1 fnity control anc <br /> <br />also share scrr.e responsib11 fty for causation through reservc1r e~aporat1on. <br /> <br />The estfmated benefits to Lo.ar Basin interests of eac~ option studied here are <br /> <br />shown as negative costs in tables 3 and 4. As rer.:arked aDove. the federal <br /> <br /> <br />estfmates lMy overstate municipal damages from salin1ty, rencer1ng them an <br /> <br />upper bound on potentfal w111ingness-tc-pay. <br /> <br />^ substantial Lower Easin <br /> <br />contributfon tcwarc salinity control costs would prov1c:e evidence tr.at tr.e <br /> <br />abatement program is valued by ceneficiaries. <br /> <br />19 <br />