Impacts on Water Usage

The salt content of groundwater, surface water, and soils is a major factor in determining their benefit to the community, the economy, and the environment. In many areas around the globe, increasing demand for water has created tremendous pressures on water resources, which resulted in lowering water levels and increasing salinization. 

Diversion of rivers or constriction of dams, which causes decreases in flow and available water amounts for natural washing of salts (e.g., Funakawa et al. 2000 Spoor 1998). 

Land use changes which eliminate natural vegetation and increase drainage and recharge rates (e.g., Gordon et al. 2003 Leaney et al. 2003). 

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