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<br />3 <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br />~r, <br />~-Jj:' <br /> <br />The U.S. Epvi~onmental Protection Agency (EPA) h~. calcul~ted in 3 <br /> <br />study c0nd~cted over the perlod 19(,0 to 1969 (~eferences 6-9) poten- <br /> <br />N <br />0) <br /><::> <br />N <br /> <br />tial damag~ from qalinity. Total penalty costs, defin0d as marginal <br />, <br />, <br />cos t. of i!lcrcases in salini ty concentr~tions above 1960 base c,mdi tions, <br /> <br />are the sUill of di rect penalty costs incurred by ,watE'r us'~s and indirect ".~ <br /> <br />penalty co~ts imposed on t~e economv of the region. Irrigated agricul- <br /> <br />ture accounted for the major po~tion of these penaltv costs. <br /> <br />II. The N~ed for Evaluation <br /> <br />Salinity of waters in the Colorado River Basin could be expected to oon- <br /> <br />tinue to i~c~ease as basin development continueq in the absence of anv <br /> <br />action to~ont~ol salinity. The seven Colorado Rive~ basin states have <br /> <br />joinE'd with the Environment~l Protection Agency in the development of <br /> <br />qalinity regulations for the river. They have been instrumental in <br /> <br /> <br />securing p~sage of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act <br /> <br /> <br />(P.L. 93-31w), which authorizes 4 salinity cont~ol uni.ts identified <br /> <br /> <br />, by the Colprado River Water Quality Imp~ovement Prograr and provides <br /> <br />for continj.led investigation of 12 other units by the Bureau of <br /> <br />Reelamatiop. Expected growth of municipal, domestic, industrial, <br /> <br />irrigation~ and recreational uses of wate~ will add mineTal constit- <br /> <br />uents ann ~eplete the nnw of the Colc~ado River. All phases of the <br /> <br />basin econpmy are expected to expand in the future, requiring increased <br /> <br />water use.! As the entire basin economv develnp., the salinitv rroblem <br /> <br />will be f~ther aggravatE'd. <br />