Grand Junction Free Press -By Dr. Curtis E. Swift
We, the people of the Grand Valley, and other water users in the upper Colorado River basin, have an obligation to reduce our water use so the water that flows to the users in the lower states is higher quality, i.e. with less salt. Over irrigation in the Grand Valley results in the flushing of 580,000 tons of salt into the Colorado River each year. The Uncompahgre Valley of Montrose County is responsible for flushing 1.2 million tons of salt into the Colorado River each year. Over irrigation results in deep percolation, the movement of water deep into the soil that dissolves salts. Those salts end up in the Colorado River.
