The Salty Colorado, Taylor O. Miller, Gary D. Weatherford, John E. Thorson, (Washington DC: The Conservation Foundation Press, 1986), 93pp.
Understanding environmental problems, identifying stakeholders, understanding core interests, making effective use of technical information; applicable to water resource issues; written for the third party participant.
The Salty Colorado, is an in depth examination of the salinity problem in the Colorado River Basin. It addresses: the problem itself, a catalog of mitigation efforts already attempted and future possibilities.
The Salty Colorado is required reading for ARSC 5020 as taught by Professors Michael Glantz and Jim Wescoat. This work will be of interest to those interested in salinity problems in rivers and the Colorado Basin. The authors have divided the book into four sections. The first section addresses the salinity problem itself. It looks at the: natural sources, irrigation sources and reservoir evaporation as the multiple causes of the salinity. A discussion of the damages of increased salinity to: human health, agriculture, and fish and wildlife is offered. Special attention is paid to energy development in the upper Colorado Basin.
The second section examines the mitigation efforts which have been attempted. This section addresses: the discovery of the problem, salinity control programs, their participants and the projects which are underway. The costs of salinity programs, the bearers of those costs, the problems encountered and the results of the programs are presented.
Section three offers two perspectives on salinity control programs. One perspective asserts that the program is a reasonable response to an important problem. The second perspective is that the control program is an expensive response to a minor problem.. The final section examines the choices available. It must be decided what level of salinity ought to be achieved. Under discussion are: pre-1972 levels, 1972 levels, or post-1972 levels. In addition the location(s) for salinity tests to monitor the level must be chosen. Further, increases must be defined and methods for remaining within the limits must be selected. Options for maintenance of the agreed upon salinity level are: changes or elimination of existing development; limiting the scale, type and location of new development; limiting exports; controlling natural sources; augmenting flow and desalination before use.
The text is appended with a table of salinity control projects in place and a list of resources. A nicely drawn map is included to the benefit of readers. The Salty Colorado presents a compact, yet comprehensive examination of the salinity problem in the Colorado Basin.
T. A. O'Lonergan