WSP04572

• File Number: 8271.300
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - General Information and Publications-Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1981
• Author: R Evans W Walker
• Title: Optimizing Salinity Control Strategies for the Upper Colorado River Basin -- Part 1 of 2 - Title page - 186 -- Abstract - Bibliography
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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more than 850 mg/l at Imperial Darn. Further deterioration
of Colorado River quality is expected as a result of water
and energy resource development. This will occur even if
salinity reduction measures are instituted although it would
occur at a slower rate. If no salinity control measures are
developed, it is anticipated that salinity increases at
Imperial Darn will range from 1,150 mg/l (USDI, BR, 1979a) to
11340 mg/l (Colorado River Board of California, 1970) by the
year 2000.
All of the salinity control planning which has been done
to date has been oriented toward only reducing the salt load
of the Colorado River. The economics of control have not
been of overriding concern. Furthermore, development of
cost-effective programs or the construction of projects with
),enefit-cost ratios greater than one has not been high prior-
ity even though costs have been compared to estimated annual
damages at Imperial Darn. The argument presented in favor of
the non-economic approach is that Congress (PL 93-320) man-
dated certain projects and that these projects would include
specific construction items such as canal linings. However,
since that legislation was passed the results of numerous
investigations have become available which permit the
formulation of cost-effective salinity control programs.
The control of salinity on the scale needed in the
Colorado River Basin will undoubtedly involve a combination
of several individual control measures in each area of
salinity contribution. For any specific source of salinity,