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<br />scheduled to divert water, may result in filled reservoirs and <br /> <br />~ <br />~ <br />00 <br />~ <br /> <br />possible surplus releases in the river. This would further reduce <br />salinity at Imperial Dam. However, as more projects come on-line or <br /> <br />if the water supply is greatly reduced for some other reason over an <br /> <br />extended time, the salinity at Imperial will probably start rising <br /> <br />again. <br /> <br />Due to the dampening effect of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the full <br /> <br />salinity impact of actions occurring in the Upper Region is not felt <br /> <br />in the Lower Region until several years after such actions occur. <br /> <br />Studies conducted by the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum <br />indicate that 50 percent of the full impact is felt in the lower <br />end of the Basin after 5 years, 85 percent after 10 years, and the <br />full impact after about 17 years. Therefore, the full salinity <br />impact of energy development in the Upper Region will eventually be <br />somewhat greater than shown in the following analysis for the years <br /> <br />1985 and 2000. <br /> <br />Economic impacts from increases in salinity at Imperial Dam are <br /> <br />presented in table 4. These basinwide impacts range from $614,000 <br />per year by 1985 with Alternative I to $5,430,000 per year by 2000 <br />with Alternative III. These impacts would accrue to the regional <br />service area which is made up of the Lower Colorado hydrologic basin <br /> <br />and areas served Colorado River water either by interbasin transfers <br /> <br />or exchanges. See figure 1 for an approximation of the service area <br /> <br />using county boundaries. <br /> <br />20 <br />