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<br />W <br />eN <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM <br /> <br />Salinity is a major water quality issue in the Colorado River basin. Waters of the Colorado <br />River support the municipal and industrial needs of over 18 million people and irrigate over <br />2.5 million acres of crops inside the basin and thousands of acres outside the basin through <br />ex port. <br /> <br />Salinity-a measure of total dissolved solids including all inorganic material in solution, <br />whether ionized or not-threatens all these uses. At its headwaters, salinity in the <br />Colorado River has been measured at 50 mgll of water. At Imperial Dam this amount has <br />risen to over 800 mg/l in the past, and is currently about 600 mgll-a result of several years <br />of higher-than-nonnal runoff in the basin. <br /> <br />Basinwide Problems <br /> <br />As the upper basin States continue to develop waters allocated by the Colorado River <br />Compact, and if river yield declines to historic levels, salinity levels are sure to rise in the <br />Colorado River. The Bureau of Reclamation estimates that by the year 2010, salinity levels <br />could reach 963 mgll. The Bureau of Reclamation estimates current damages of more than <br />$100 million annually to the lower basin States resulting from salinity in the Colorado <br />River. <br /> <br />Municipal damages. Municipal damages from saline water are related to increasing <br />capital costs and expenditures for operation and maintenance of water-using household <br />equipment Capital costs rise when salinity reduces the effective life of such items as water <br />pipes, fixtures, and water-using appliances (e.g., clothes washers, water heaters, water <br />softeners, steam irons, swimming pool heaters, pumps and filters, and cooking utensils). <br /> <br />Agricultural damages. Salinity affects irrigated agriculture by decreasing productivity <br />anellor increasing production costs. Salinity also limits the type of crops that can be grown. <br />Corrective measures depend on the availability of water to leach excess salts from the root <br />zone of irrigated crops. Excess leaching saturates the underlying shales resulting in <br />increased salinity to the river system. The management of irrigation water to maintain <br />correct amounts of water for crop production and leaching with minimal deep percolation is <br />critical. <br /> <br />Industrial damages. The mineral content of water affects industry in terms of corrosion <br />and scale formation in boilers and cooling systems. Minerals in boiler water reduce the <br />economic life of the boiler. Industrial water users have the options of obtaining higher <br />quality water at an additional expense, acquiring additional water to maintain the production <br />system, repairing or replacing affected equipment, or treating water before use. <br /> <br />5 <br />