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<br />l <br />l <br />I <br />I <br />J <br />J <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />3743 <br /> <br />The primary use of lands in the basin is grazing. Timber <br />production, wilderness, watershed, and recreation make up a <br />smaller percentage of land use. Irrigation of approximately <br />35,000 acres constitutes the major use of water in the basin. <br /> <br />USGS - ProfessionaI Paper 441 <br /> <br />Professional Paper 441 identified the average annual salt <br />discharge for the White River Basin at Watson, Utah to be <br />approximately 331,000 tons (water years 1914-57, adjusted to 1957 <br />conditions). Of that total, 164,000 tons were determined to be <br />man caused. Irrigation of 30,000 acres of farmland in the basin <br />accounted for all but approximately 500 tons contributed by man's <br />activities. The remaining 500 tons were attributed to municipal <br />and industrial sources. <br /> <br />Natural sources of salinity in the White River account for <br />167,000 tons annually. It is estimated that total ground water <br />contribution to the White River near Meeker is 102,000 tons <br />annually due to the relative abundance of soluble minerals in <br />rocks underlying this area. <br /> <br />EPA - Mineral Quality Problem <br /> <br />During the study period, the White River Basin yielded about <br />361,000 tons of salt. Natural runoff (defined as all surface <br />runoff, interflow, and base flow entering the stream channel) <br />accounted for the largest portion of the daily salt load at the <br />Watson, Utah station. The salt budget for this area is given in <br />the following tabulation. <br /> <br />-11- <br />