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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~ <br />o <br />o <br />"'1 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Protection Agency. It is far from obvious, however, that a system of <br /> <br />rules and standards for maintaining water quality can be operated efficiently <br /> <br />in the special context of the salinity problem in the Colorado River Basin. <br /> <br />Given irrigation technology, crops and saline return flows are <br /> <br />produced jointly in almost fixed proportions. Because of the intricate <br /> <br />and diverse plant, soil, and water relationships in irrigation, differing <br /> <br />salinity levels in in-take waters, and variations in irrigation efficiency, <br /> <br />it is very difficult to assign return flows and quality changes to an individual <br /> <br />irrigator. It is difficult, therfore, to visualize how meaningful standards <br /> <br />relative to return flow could be applied to each irrigator. Perhaps they <br /> <br />could be to a given project or area. But rules would have to be invoked <br /> <br />that would limit irrigation to the least saline soils, or would require <br /> <br />a quality-improving irrigation technology, or a regulated seasonal use <br /> <br />to minimize negative concentrating effects or restrictions on the crops <br /> <br />that could be grown. Any of these actions would be costly to irrigators <br /> <br />and would reduce their management flexibility and would increase water <br /> <br />costs to the consumer. They would also require a strong monitoring <br /> <br />and enforcement agency. In terms of Figure VI-l, the MNB function <br /> <br />would be shifted downward and to the left. In theory, MNB might shift <br /> <br />far enought so that the private optimum would be at the social optimum <br /> <br />OA. Of course, many of the private net benefits would be destroyed <br />e <br /> <br />by employing such rules and the solution would be highly inequitable if the <br /> <br />upstream irrigators were required to bear the full cost of such rules. <br /> <br />15 <br /> <br />i <br />I <br />J <br />