A proposal for reclamation by dilution of irrigation water

An account is given of numerical feasibility calculations performed prior to field experiments with a controlled-salinity mixing valve to regulate the mix of water from a power plant cooling system with higher grade well water and thus produce water of specified salinity, to be carried out in the context of feasibility studies on the use of saline power plant cooling water for irrigation. The authors' proposal is to try periodically decreasing the salinity of the irrigation water mix so that crops can continue to be grown with minimum discharge of salt below the root zone, i.e. to keep land in production during reclamation periods where the conventional practice of flushing out excess salts inhibits cropping.