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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Total salt concentration in the river system varies with the <br />water supply. The record high flows of the early 1980's flushed <br />and refilled reservoirs. Salinity declined at Imperial Dam from a <br />1982 high of about 940 mg/L to a 1986 low of about 55 mg/L, but by <br />1987 salinity had rebounded to 700 mg/L. Without implementing <br />controls on salinity, the Bureau of Reclamation estimated that <br />salinity at Imperial Dam could rise to 1,005 mg/L by about A.D. <br />2010. Thus, concern over high salinity have stimulated numerous <br />studies and an elaborate control program. <br /> <br />Under the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program, the <br />Bureau of Reclamation has constructed, or proposes to construct, <br />channel modifications that regulate salinity downstream. Water <br />with TDS of less than 500 mg/L is considered good drinking water. <br />Above 500 mg/L, significant municipal and industrial costs are <br />incurred. When water contains 700-850 and more mg/L TOS, <br />agricultural losses become significant. The solution to the <br />problem is to keep at least 1.2 million mt of salt from entering <br />the system annually. All seven Colorado River Basin states have <br />joined efforts to adopt standards and implement a plan to decrease <br />salinity while continuing to develop water supplies. For example, <br />the Grand Valley Unit of this program consists of a series of <br />canals and pipelines to divert saline water from entering the <br />Colorado River downstream from Grand Junction, Colorado. Progress <br />on the many aspects of this program are made available through the <br />Bureau of Reclamation's Quarterly Reports on the Colorado River <br />Water Quality Improvement Program. <br /> <br />Other Natural Pollutants <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A forest fire/flooding event recently poured debris into <br />upper Colorado River at the Utah state line, killing off most <br />the native and exotic fish life below the Black Rocks section <br />Westwater Canyon. <br /> <br />Anthropogenic Sources of Water Pollution <br /> <br />Anthropogenic water pollution is becoming an increasingly <br />common problem to Colorado Plateau streams. Sources of pollution <br />typically reflect land use priorities in the region, including <br />agriculture, grazing, mining, acid precipitation and urban <br />sources, as well as thermal pollution. Natural geologic sources <br />(strata containing calcium orthophosphate), and numerous <br />anthropogenic sources have increased phosphate concentrations in <br />Utah streams during the 1980's. Un-ionized ammonium pollution has <br />become a problem during winter months in several tributaries in <br />Colorado, including the Yampa, Eagle, Dolores, San Miguel, Fraser <br />and East Rivers. Lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, and other heavy <br />metal pollutants derived from mining activities pose a threat to <br />the excellent water quality of high elevation tributaries, <br /> <br />the <br />of <br />in <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />26 <br /> <br />. <br />