A method for determining salt sources in surface waters

This paper presents a method for determining the causes of salinization of surface waters, in this case the upper Colorado River and its tributaries in Texas. The analysis, which includes a combination of statistical analysis and graphical methods, indicates that among the sources of salt (e.g., saline ground water discharge into surface waters and storm runoff, both surface and shallow subsurface, and washing minerals into surface waters) the major contributor is saline ground water, which discharges into the river and streams. Data also points to salt plume intrusion into the river and streams from sources of salt in the aquifers.