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<br />.\. <br /> <br />Preprint from: Symposium on the Aquatic Resources Management <br />of the Colorado River Ecosystem. Nov. 16-19, <br />1981. Las Vegas, NV. Ann Arbor Science, Ann <br />Arbor, MI. (in. press) <br /> <br />/O/I1/fSL <br /> <br />~ <br />o <br />CJI <br />N <br /> <br />USE OF HYDROELECTRIC DAMS TO CONTROL EVAPORATION <br />AND SALINITY IN THE COLORADO RIVER SYSTEM <br /> <br />L. J. Paulson <br />Lake Mead Limnological Research Center <br />University of Nevada, Las Vegas <br /> <br />INTRODUC'I'ION <br /> <br />The main stem reservoirs on the Colorado River comprise <br />one of the largest and most heavily used freshwater bodies <br />in the nation. 'I'hese reservoirs (Lake PO\'1811, Lake Nead, <br />Lake 110have and Lake Havasu) can store up to 53,590,400 <br />acre-feet (66 x 109m3) of water at their maximum capacities. <br />Nonetheless, local water shortages still exist in some areas <br />of the Colorado River Basin. There is also concern that salt <br />concentrations are approaching levels that could severely <br />affect municipal and agricultural uses [1 J. 1'later shortages <br />will become even more acute as demands for water increase <br />with continued urban and agricultural development in the <br />basin. <br />Water' conservation and salinity control programs have <br />already been adopted, or are under investigation, in most <br />states using Colorado River water. Reductions in consumptive <br />water uses through more efficient 'irrigation practices, POW"- <br />er plant cooling and wastewater reuse will, to some extent, <br />help alleviate future 1fater shortages. However, this will <br />not offset the rising demands, and basin-wide shortages <br />could occur by the year 2000 [2J. Similarly, recent esti- <br />mates indicate that salt concentrations in the river at <br />Imperial Dam will rise to 1150 mg/1 as a result of flow de- <br />pletions projected to occur during this century [1 ,3J. Con- <br />struction of salinity control projects approved by Congress <br />under PL 93-320 will significantly reduce salinity, but im- <br />plementation of these projects will be costly and time con- <br />suming [3J. <br />Water shortages and salinity control in the Colorado <br />River system have thus far been addressed from the stand- <br />point of reducing water uses and controlling point source <br />salt inputs. Little attention has been given to investigat- <br />ing methods of reducing evaporation from the reservoirs, but <br />studies conducted in 1952 and 1953 [4J sho1fed that it 1fas a <br />major water loss from the Colorado River system. Moreover, <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />____~..ii_~.:.-, <br />