Salinity Management in the Colorado River Basin
Salinity – the concentration of dissolved salts in water, causes an estimated $300-400 million annual economic damages in the Colorado River Basin across U.S. agricultural, municipal and industrial sectors. It also impacts municipal and agricultural users in Mexico. Salinity in the Colorado River comes from two main sources – natural occurrences (due to weathering and the breakdown of minerals in soils and rock) and human-induced causes (agriculture and other activities).
High salinity concentrations pose a threat to agriculture in the Basin by reducing irrigation and soil efficiency, reducing crop yields and causing higher labor costs for irrigation management. For municipal and industrial uses, salinity increases the costs of water treatment, lowers lifespan of plumbing, water-using appliances and critical built infrastructure.
In 1974, Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, which directed the Secretary of Interior to proceed with a program to enhance and protect the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the Basin. The Act created the Salinity Control Program to implement and manage programs to reduce salinity loads. This Program leverages the resources of the seven Basin states as well as multiple state and federal agencies to facilitate these salinity-reduction efforts. To date, the Program has implemented nearly 1.33 million tons of salinity control in the Basin.
CAP actively participates in the technical and oversight groups, including the Salinity Control Forum, the Advisory Council, and various working groups, helping to ensure the success of the Program.
