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<br />..c~) <br /> <br />~.. <br /><Xl <br />I"' <br />~ <br /> <br />legislation, there are a number of other significant actions that are already <br /> <br />under way or which may be effectuated in the future that will have a significant <br /> <br />impact on salinity. These include control of effluent from pOller plants, control <br /> <br />of other industrial users, reappraisal of authorized ,'ater development projects, <br /> <br />numerical standards, installation of tile drains in agricultural areas, blending <br /> <br />of Colorado River water with a higher quality water in Southern California, and <br /> <br />the Bureau of Reclamation's allied water programs. <br /> <br />Control of Effluent from Power Plants <br /> <br />Since 1970, action has been taken with respect to the effect of cooling <br /> <br />tower blowdolnl water from thermal-electric power plants on the ~alinity of the <br /> <br />Colorado River. Cooling water in the towers evaporates, and salt in the re- <br /> <br />maining water becomes more and more concentrated. The cooling water must be main- <br /> <br />tained at or below specific levels of concentration, and this is done by dis- <br /> <br />charging, or "blm1ing d01nl" a portion of the I'later, and replacing it with fresh <br /> <br />water. At the present time, there are five large coal-fired thermal-electric <br /> <br />generating plants either in operation or under construction within the Colorado <br /> <br />River Basin that >Till be disposing of their blO1ldown I'later away from the river, <br /> <br />thereby removing dissolved salts from the Colorado River system. These are the <br /> <br />Mohave Generating station located near the Colorado River in Nevada, the Navajo <br /> <br />Generating Station on the shores of Lake PO>Tell, the San Juan PO>Ter Plant in the <br /> <br />Four Corners region of New Mexico, the Huntington Canyon Generating Station on a <br /> <br />tributary of the Green River in Utah, and the Jim Bridger Generating Station, <br /> <br />near the Green River in Wyoming, <br /> <br />Detailed studies of the effect of the Navajo Generating Station on the river's <br /> <br />salinity indicates that, by not returning cooling tower blowdown >Tater to the <br /> <br />river system, approximately 30,000 tons a year of dissolved salts will be re- <br /> <br />moved from the river system. The operations of the other power plants will also <br /> <br />13 <br />