National Water-Quality Assessment Program

U.S. Geological Survey
Fact Sheet 2008-3076
version 1.0

Dissolved Solids in Basin-Fill Aquifers and Streams in the Southwestern United States—Executive Summary

By David W. Anning

2008

photo of worker in a tram that is dangling from a cable while a measurement tool the size of a large fish is lowered into the river some 30 feet below
A U.S. Geological Survey scientist collects a sample from the Colorado River for analysis of dissolved solids and other water-quality constituents (USGS photograph by Nancy Bauch).

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a regional study in the Southwestern United States to characterize dissolved-solids conditions in major water supplies, including important rivers and aquifers. High concentrations of dissolved solids can degrade a water supply’s suitability for important uses, such as drinking water or crop irrigation. In an effort to ensure the continued availability of clean surface and groundwater, USGS scientists identified areas where there have been both increasing and decreasing trends in dissolved-solids concentrations.


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For questions about the content of this report, contact David Anning

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