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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This increase is typical o~ many of the marine shales
although generally not as pronounced. Other marine forma-
tions which contribute significant amounts of salt are the
Wasatch and Green River formations and the Uintah-Duchesne
formation which underlies the irrigated areas in the Uintah
and Big Sandy drainages.
The saline Paradox formation of Pennsylvania Age under-
lies a large area of western Colorado and eastern Utah, but
has few surface exposures. The most notable salt contribu-
tion from this formation is the Paradox Valley on the
Dolores River in western Colorado.
Natural point salinity sources like the Glenwood-
Dotsero and the Steamboat Springs are also the result of
geologic conditions. Water moving downward into the earth
along fractures and bedding planes increases in temperature
and in the ability of the water to dissolve mineral constit-
uents.When the saline waters eventually return to the
surface, their salt content is usually very high. Hagan
(1971) reports that the salt discharge of major thermal
springs in the Colorado River Basin exceeds 500,000 Mgm per
year.
Geologic investigations have been made in many parts of
the basin in connection with coal, uranium, oil and gas and
other minerals. Although the vast majority of these investi-
gations are not hydrologically oriented, the results can
still be useful in the interpretation of data on the quality
of surface and shallow groundwaters. The geology of the