Economics and cost sharing of salinity control in the Colorado River basin
Salinity (dissolved solids) in water supplies arises both from natural and manmade causes. Salinity is the most serious water quality problem in the Colorado River Basin, affecting over 12 million people and 1 million irrigated acres. The Salinity Control Act of 1974 authorized a largely Federally financed solution to the problem. This dissertation endeavors to assess the economic benefits and cost of potential and proposed salinity control methods, with an emphasis on the effects of different means of sharing control costs. A linear programming model of irrigated agriculture in the Imperial Valley provides estimates of salinity damages in the 800 to 1100 mg/l salinity range. Estimates of municipal salinity damages are drawn from past research. Direct damage estimates are discounted for an assumed six-year hydraulic retention time between reductions in salt load upstream and lower salinity levels at Imperial Dam to obtain estimates of salinity control benefits.
- OSTI ID:
- 6441846
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
COLORADO RIVER
WATER POLLUTION ABATEMENT
COLORADO RIVER BASIN
SALINITY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
520500* - Environment
Aquatic- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
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