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<br />r <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />", <br /> <br />C' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />i:' <br />1 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />:-- . "'. i.' ~ <br />;.)t:.;:. -~ <br /> <br />SUBJECT: SALINITY <br /> <br />1. Issue: Our President has signed a pact with Mexico regarding the <br />salinity of the Colorado River. If you were to use the same ratio <br />with 20 percent water - less water flowing in the rivers and all the <br />factors, would not the salinity increase? It would, definitely. <br /> <br />Raised by: <br /> <br />Representing <br /> <br />Howard Dearhammer <br />*Tam Scott <br />*Stacy Standley <br /> <br />Fryingpan Valley Association <br />Colorado Rivers Council <br />Mayor of Aspen <br /> <br />Response: <br /> <br />We concur. The example is true. However, it should be pointed out <br />that the depletion of waterflow at Imperial Dam station is less than <br />1 percent. Any volume or use change of water in the basin affects the <br />end quality of the water. Economic and social developments contingent <br />on use of water must be carefully weighed. This has been done for the <br />diversion of Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water. The salinity problem <br />and planned salinity control is fully addressed in Chapter IV, Section A, <br />and Chapter V, Section A. <br /> <br />2. Issue: Although many voices have joined in threnody for the <br />Colorado River, this Project plan appears inaensate to ecosystema <br />problems and in Volume 3, notes, "Project operations will result in <br />an annual average depletion of 70,000 acre-feet of high quality water <br />from the Colorado River Basin (69,200 acre-feet by transmountain <br />diversion and 800 acre-feet of evaporation from the Ruedi Reservoir). <br />This depletion will increase the salinity concentration of the <br />Colorado River by 8 to 12 parts per million at Cameo, Colorado. <br /> <br />Raised by: <br /> <br />Representing <br /> <br />Edwin Merrick <br /> <br />National Wildlife Federation <br /> <br />Reaponae: <br /> <br />The diversion of 70,000 acre-feet will increase the salinity of the <br />Colorado River by 8 to 12 mg/l at Cameo, Colorado. This amounts to <br />2.2 to 3.3 percent, as is described in Chapter IV. Fiah in the <br />Colorado River have become tolerant of the salinity of the river <br />(Hynes, 1970), and no adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem are <br />expected from the amBll increase. Mitigatory measures to offset this <br />salinity increase are discusaed in Chapter V, Section A. <br /> <br />XI-482 <br />