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<br />0012J8 <br /> <br />ff <br /> <br />The Beaver Creek development will add salinity to the <br /> <br />Colorado River system not only by direct contributions in the forms <br /> <br />of sewage treatment plant effluent and urban runoff but also in the <br /> <br />form of a concentration effect by depleting high-quality water. <br /> <br />Thus, the Beaver Creek development could divert water from water <br /> <br />projects officially planned for by the State of Colorado. At best, <br /> <br />the development will place an additional water quality improvement <br /> <br />burden on a new water project. <br /> <br />At the present time, the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation is <br /> <br />required to evaluate the effects of all their planned water <br /> <br />development projects on the salinity of the Colorado River. This <br /> <br />includes a detailed economic analysis of the costs to water users <br /> <br />including treatment costs, reductions of yield of crops, damages <br /> <br />to plumbing, etc. Present estimates place the total annual costs <br /> <br />occasioned by salinity at $230,000 per mg/l at Imperial Dam. Why <br /> <br />not require the U. S. Forest Service to make comparable economic <br /> <br />evaluations? <br /> <br />A cursory examination by our staff has shown that the <br /> <br />data required for reliable estimates of the salinity increases <br /> <br />resulting from the Beaver Creek development are not available. <br /> <br />However, a representative of Wright-McLaughlin Engineers has <br /> <br />reported that their firm is conducting an investigation of this <br /> <br />pollution problem at Snow Mass at Aspen and that preliminary <br /> <br />-3- <br />