WSP05382

• File Number: 8271.300
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - General Information and Publications-Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 6/1/1975
• Title: The Natural Salinity of the Colorado River
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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THE NATURAL SALINITY OF THE
COLORADO RIVER

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Standing by the muddy waters of the Colorado River (Fig. 1) as
they swirl and glide through canyons of the plateau province, one
realizes, of course, that these waters, including their dissolved,
suspended, and traction loads, are as much a part of the geologic scene
as the beautiful canyon walls, towering above them. The river, like the
canyons it has eroded, has grown out of the geologic past. The quality of
its water is basically a geologic feature, now modified by man's activities.
At this time, one of the most highly developed and controlled rivers in
the world, its pristine quality will not be restored. Perhaps it can be
approximated if the degradation caused by irrigation use is decreased by
better water management in the irrigated areas, and offset by control or
elimination of some natural point sources. In any case, its basic quality,
a geologic fact of life, is the starting point for any consideration of future
modification that may be made either by better management or the

Figure 1. Colorado River near Moab, Utah.

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