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<br />" <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />., <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />controlled operation for cyclic storage of the many ground <br />water basins througnout the West will be necessary, The bal- <br />ance between over-all water sUPDly and requirements is so close <br /> <br />that little if any fresh water can be dedicated solely to the <br /> <br />purpose of disposal of wastes. <br /> <br />The quality of surface streams can be upgraded for <br />future uses with some difficulty and exnense by improved treat- <br />ment of some wastes and cessation of discharge of highly min- <br />eralized wastes that cannot be adequately treated, Ground <br />water basins, however, may be permanently ruined for future <br />use if large amounts of mineral wastes are permitted to enter <br />them. These considerations require that the nature and amount <br />~ of wastes disposed of to natural waters be limited to the <br />(;0 <br />~ extent necessary to protect from damage the other uses of the <br />waters, both present and future. <br /> <br />The more important of the water quality problems that <br /> <br />have arisen may be classified as "contamination" and "pollution", <br />or as "degradation", "Contamination" and "pollution" are as <br /> <br />defined by the California Legislature, respectively, hazards to <br /> <br />the public health and economic damage to beneficial uses of <br />water resulting from disposal of sewage and industrial wastes, <br />"Degradation" is an impairment of water quality caused by man's <br /> <br />development and use of the water and other resources. <br /> <br />The following is a list of some of the causes of these <br /> <br />problems: <br /> <br />-2- <br />