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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these lands from crop production. Private sector land
retirement through water transfers reduces the agricultural
consumptive use although the net consumptive use of the
river system is only slightly affected. An added benefit
for salinity control is thClt these "retired" lands are
usually marginal and the most inefficiently irrigated.
In the case of energy development and in many other
industries, the transferred water is generally totally
consumed on-site, therefore, the salinity detriments are
limited to concentrating effects due to the reduced amount
of water available for dilution. The high salt loading
component from the irrigated lands is eliminated.
Stora~e
There is more than 5.2 x 105 ha-m of storage available
in the upper Colorado River Basin. Table 1-3 in Appendix 1
lists the major irrigation and power reservoirs. However,
there are a great many livestock water retention, recrea-
tional and municipal reservoirs, which are not listed. Most
of the unlisted reservoirs and lakes are very small, although
some, such as Dillon Reservoir (Denver, Colorado, municipal
water supply) are quite large. As of 1965, Shafer (1971)
indicated a total of 208 reservoirs with an active capacity
of 403,540 ha-m had been constructed. Since then the amount
of storage capacity has been increased by more than 100,000
ha-m through the completion of Navajo, Curecanti and other
projects.

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