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<br /> <br />A. Physical Effects, Alternatives. and Procedures <br /> <br />1. ^l!riculture. Salinity effects on agricultural lIses are mani.- <br /> <br />fested primsrily by limitations on the types of crops that may be <br /> <br />I\) irrigated with a given 'water supply and by reductions of crop <br />0) <br /><:) yields as salinity levels increase. Other conditions being equal, <br />OW <br />as salinity levels increase in applied irrigation l.at~r, snI1nity <br /> <br />levels in the root zone of the soil also increase. <br /> <br />Because different crops have different tolerances to salts in <br /> <br />the root zone, limits Are nhced on the types of crops that may <br /> <br />be grown. WIlen salinity levels in the soil increase above the <br /> <br />threshold levels of a crop, progressive impairment of the crop <br /> <br />~rowth and yield results, Irrigation water which has a high <br /> <br />percentage of sodium ions may also affect soil structure and <br /> <br />cause adverse effects on crop production. <br /> <br />2. !1unic'llla1. Domestic uses comprise the major utilization of <br /> <br />municipal water suplllies. Total hardness, a llarameter closely <br /> <br />related to salinity, is of considerable interest in assessinp> <br /> <br />l.ater quality effects on these uses. Increases in the concentra- <br /> <br />tion of salinity and hardness lead to added soap and detergent <br /> <br />consumption, corrosion and scaling of metal water pipes and water <br /> <br />he3tei'3, acceler,~ted fabric wear, added water "often!ng costc., and <br /> <br />in extreme cases, abandonment of a supply. By most hardness meas- <br /> <br />ures, raw water supplies derived from thc Colorado River at or <br /> <br />below Lake !~ad would be classified as ver~ hard. <br /> <br />6 <br />