WSP00978

• File Number: 8271.300
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - General Information and Publications-Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 6/1/1982
• Title: Optimizing Salinity Control Strategies for the Upper Colorado River Basin
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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SECTION 6

METHOD OF ANALYSIS

The research approach c1eveloped for this work consistecl of four phases:

1, Development of a cost-effectiveness anelysis applicable to the
salinity control problem in the Upper Coloraclo River Basin;

2.

Evaluation of salinity sources in the basin;

3. Selecting an array of salinity control alternatives; and

4.

Application of the anslytical proceclure to the Upper Basin c.ondi-
t ions.

The fourth phase is encompassed in the following section. The seconcl phase
was describecl in genersl terms in Section 5 and will be ~~panclecl somewhat in
this section.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS A.~LYSIS

The method of salinity control program analysis was originally developecl
in a study of water quality improvement alternatives in the Utah Lake drainage
area in central Utah (Walker et al., 1973). The approach involved decomposing
a basin-wicle prOblem into first hyclrologic subbasin problems and from there
into technological subunits. The principal assumption in the c1ecomposition
.was that by evaluating net mass emission of salts from each subbasin, the
problem consists of mutually exclusive components that coulcl..be aclded .together
in arriving at the basin-wide optimal program. This assumption implies physi-
cally thst: (1) water utilization at one location is not significantly
affectecl by a change in water use practices elsewhere; and (2) salinity is a .
completely conservative pollutant. Walker and Skogerboe (1980) c1iscuss the
physical assumptions and show mathematically the relationship between the
physical system and these assumptions.

A schematic view of the conceptual model is given in Figure 15. G,alker,
1978). The basic structure of the model is a function relating the cost of
s,a11n:lty control and the effectivenes:3 or the investment in terms of reducing
mass emission (Mgm/yr). Associatecl with each cost-effectiveness function are
inclicatio s of how much of the cost ancl effectiveness is allocated to each
alternative encompassed in the optimi~ation. Examination of Figure 15 in some
detail will serve to illustrate the additive construction of the overall
optimal strategy.

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