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<br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The total annual salt loading to the Colorado River is about 9 million tons <br />per year, causing problems for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water <br />users in the Lower Colorado River Basin (Lower Basin) where salinity is the <br />highest, About half of the present salt concentration in the river can be <br />attributed to natural sources, while the remainder is human-induced, <br />Human activities that increase salinity are primarily water resource <br />development projects, which either deplete fresh water inflows or increase <br />saline return flows or both, In their 1988 report entitled Estimating <br />Economic Impacts of Salinity of the Colorado River Basin, the Milliken <br />Chapman Research Group estimated total salinity damages in the United <br />States portion of the Lower Basin at $311 million annually, based on the <br />1976-85 average level of salinity, Salinity was relatively low during this <br />period because of dilution caused by extraordinarily high runoff in the early <br />1980's, Since that time, salinity has returned to more normal levels, The <br />economic impact model developed by the research group estimates that <br />Lower Basin damages are now approaching $1 billion per year, <br /> <br />Although unquantified, damages in the Republic of Mexico can be severe, <br />Because of its location at the end of the river, salinity levels in the water <br />entering Mexico are among the highest in the Colorado River Basin, <br />Salinity control in the United States also improves the salinity of water <br />entering Mexico, This benefit has not been estimated but is thought to be <br />significant, <br /> <br />"', , 1"'8 <br />l, , ! :, l; <br />..... \.~ \,: <br />