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<br />Table 2. Mean concentrations of selected major ions and salinity lor six siles on the
<br />Colorado River. July 1994-Seplember 1995
<br />
<br />1('(llI<':':nlr;llj(ln~ 111 milllgrall1~ per Iller (ran~ rer Imlhonlj
<br /> Site Magne. Polas-
<br />number Calcium Sodium Chloride Sulfate Alkalinity Saltnity
<br /> (fig. 1) sium sium
<br /> I 624 14.6 :U 99.3 1.14 liS 114 Sl7
<br /> 61 J 151 J.2 97.0 127 114 140 .'ill
<br /> 5 72H '" 5 J.1 101 130 lSf. 144 .'i~O
<br />1'\) r. KI.\ 241 JI 72.9 66" 224 14(l S67
<br />-.J 7 11)(1 25.3 J2 74.3 (<> . HS 142 SH7
<br />1\:, " X7 ~ 26.4 .11 78,) 712 252 142 617
<br />c.... ~
<br />
<br />Major-Ion Concentrations
<br />
<br />The monthly samples collccled al Ihe
<br />l'ighl Sill'''' ","l're allalY/.ccJ for ConCel\lrallOns of
<br />major ion:. (Iahh: 21 The moSl notahle fe;lIurc
<br />orthc major-Ion dat;J listed In lahle 2 is Ihe dif-
<br />ference!. III itln conccnlrations tn the Colorado
<br />RI....cr upslream and dllwn"lream from the con-
<br />fluencc wIlh lllc Gunnl....on River (IInnll'diatcly
<br />dowl1\\re:am lmm ~i\(' S, \")g, ~ l. Tk ('1~ondc
<br />and <;odlUm concentration" upslream from the
<br />GlInni:;'(ll\ RWCl hll('s 1.3. and 5) Llrc C0I1"'ld.
<br />l'rJt'lly higher lhan cJov..nSlrealll frolllthc
<br />Gunlll"llll Rivcr Inflow (SllCS (). 7. iJllt.! Xl, ilnd
<br />:--Ulf.ll(, conCClllliIIHH\:-- .lfe con"iJclahly higher
<br />ul.lwnqrcalll frolll the Gunni",oll River. Tile
<br />r~a\(lr\ hlr lhu"c.; dll'!clenccs I=' lhal chloride
<br />and -"odium concentrations are lowcr and sul-
<br />falc l'ono.:ntratlon:;. arC hIgher In Ihe Gunnison
<br />River Ihan in the Colorado River upstream
<br />ffom site ~ Therefore, ch!orvk and ~-..di.um
<br />l'onccnlralion~ ;.Ire decreased and sulfale con-
<br />centralions arc Increased Il1 thc C<-,!orado
<br />Rl\'er by Inl1(lw from the Gunm~on River.
<br />AI"o of nole is the increase in some Ion con-
<br />centration" bClv.'cen sifes J and 5, .....hich
<br />relkcls thl.'" e1fl'l'IS of irrigatIOn return nows
<br />from thl' (';1.-"lern Grand Valley. and hetwecn
<br />Silt'S (), 7. and 8. which renee!s the elTects of
<br />migalion relurn nows mlo lhe Colorado River
<br />trOIll the l,l,'l'stem palt of the Grand Valley.
<br />
<br />
<br />OCTober 1996
<br />
<br />CONCLUSIONS
<br />
<br />Salinily in lhc ColoriJdt) Ri....er in
<br />lLJ')4-QS was dependent to \'arymg degree!. on
<br />slrcamflov.' TIle Icss Ih,m av~rage runoff m
<br />1944 prubably t:au:...cu unu!.ually t1lgh salinity
<br />in the Colorado River in July (qQ4. Howcl,'cr.
<br />"alinity in lhc Colorad{'. Rl\.cr for Augu....t
<br />lhrough Novcmber 1994 WJS IlOt unu"ual
<br />when l.:omparcd lo hi"toflcal dala thaI havc
<br />been collecled allhe Camel\ ;mJ Slalc line
<br />gaging ...1<llmn..... Reservoir relc;l"es in lhe
<br />C(lloradu Rivc! Oasl!\ up'tn.:alll 11011\ thc
<br />CranJ V,illcy :tuglllcllled ri\'cr now", WIlh
<br />dllule waler ;md partially pl1setlhe elk":IS 01
<br />low na\ural 'lr~al\\t\tlW\ tIn "<.tllluty rhe hil:'Jt
<br /><.IIlJ prolrmgcd runoff III 11.)9~ s('('lIlcd 10 have
<br />affcucu ~alH\it)' m Ihc Colorado Hlvcr more
<br />nOllCcably than the low-flow pcrtod of I 99..t.
<br />Salmity in July and AuguSI [995 W<1.-" mllch
<br />lower Ihan III July and August 1994 al six sam.
<br />pling !\\te'io on the CO\0radQ River from Cameo
<br />(olhe Colorado. Utah S!al(, line.
<br />
<br />SalmilY during July-October 19lJ4 nl',1I
<br />the dlvcr"l\}n poill\s on the ColoraLlo River for
<br />Ihe Governmenl Highline Canal and Gnmc1
<br />Va{(ey Cmal dId not ex.l.:ce:d a IhlC..hold level
<br />al which crop produc(ivily Il1<JY he advcr:-.c1y
<br />affcl.:\cd Salinity illl::n:ascllln !he Colorado
<br />Rivcr Irom Pali":lde (SiIC :n to the GlInlllson
<br />River (site 5) ilnd fltlm Ihe Redlands Parkway
<br />(<;ite 6. downslream from the Gunmson RII,.er
<br />
<br />For more information about this
<br />study, write to:
<br />
<br />Subdistrict Chid
<br />u.S. Geological Survey
<br />Watcr ReSources DiviSion
<br />Aspinall Federal Budding
<br />402 Rood Avenue. Room ~JO
<br />Grand }unc.;llon. CO ~ 150 I
<br />email: phvongLle@crom\~ (r.usgs gllV
<br />
<br />innow) to Ihe Colorado-Ulah Slate line (site H)
<br />because or sail loading from surface and
<br />subsurface IrrigatIOn relurn nows. DUring
<br />14.)94--95. the hIghest salimly in Ihe Colorado
<br />RI\'cr between the Redlands Parkway and Ihe
<br />Slate line ~Jc(uITed dunng Augu:.t-No\'emhcr
<br />of 1994, which probably coincides with thc
<br />max.m1um salt loading. to the river rrollllffigJ-
<br />lion drJlnwalCr and relum flows
<br />
<br />REFERENCES CITED
<br />
<br />Crowfool, R.M., Ug!and, R.C., Maura, W.S,
<br />Jenkms, R.A., and O'Neill. G.B,. 1996,
<br />Waler resources data. Colorado, water
<br />year 1995-v. 2, Colorado River Basin:
<br />U.S. Geological Survey Walcr-D.lta
<br />Report C:0-<}5-2. 471 r
<br />
<br />Ugland. R C. Maura. W.S., WII"on. E.A , and
<br />O'Nelll. G.B, 1995, Water resources
<br />data. CllloratJo. WiJter year 1994-1,' 2,
<br />Culorado River Basin: U.S. Geological
<br />Sur\'cy W.ller-D,lta Repon CO-94--2.
<br />412 p.
<br />
<br />II S. f)epanrlll'lll ofthc IllIerior. 1994, S:JlimlY
<br />updale. Ikm'cr.lJureiJu of Recl:JITl;lIIOIl,
<br />Color;HJo Rlvcr Salinity Program Coor-
<br />ulII..llllr. 17 p.
<br />
<br />--\<)\)5, Quality of W;.IIcr-Colorado
<br />Rlvcr 13;.1sm' Salt Lake CilY, Utah,
<br />Bureau l)f RedamalitlO, Uppcr Colorado
<br />Region Progress Report 17.96 p. plus
<br /><1ppcndll\.
<br />
<br />-[)(n.l,t L Hlllter and {'UHf ','1)1\ Gllt'runl,
<br />Waft'r RCSOllrCCJ Diri.Hon. Grand June/iotl.
<br />Cr..'ftJrlld(l.
<br />
<br />-The aUlhors acknowledge the dala.
<br />colleclion efforts ror Ihis .;tudy by
<br />Troy R. Taylor and Danin A. Miller
<br />or the USGS.
<br />
<br />'.
<br />
<br />Fact Sheel FS-215.96
<br />
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