268 THE FUTURE OF ARID LANDS 
Recommendations 
Our measure of the needs for saline water conversion and its 
permissible cost cannot be reduced to any common denominator. 
There is much confusion in this respect, since the degree of treat- 
ment and imperative needs for specific purposes are seldom fully 
defined. Before such matters may be intelligently evaluated, 
there must be critical specifications with respect both to the 
proven needs of an area and permissible economic balance between 
capital investment, operational cost, and benefits accruing there- 
from. 
In a recent address, Thorndike Saville (4) made a statement on 
the need for a national water policy in this country which in many 
respects is applicable to other nations. Although proposed for 
conservation of fresh water, the fundamental principles stated 
are equally pertinent to the use of saline water. Following are 
excerpts from his address: 
The needs for water, some of them competitive, for all purposes, must 
be forecast in the light of all available facts. The means to supply these 
needs must be canvassed; existing and new sources, re-use, treatment 
of wastes, ground water storage, importation from other drainage areas, 
etc.,... planning is essentially a local and regional function and should 
involve to the highest degree possible the participation of those who are 
to be benefited (or injured) by the program. 
The most reasonable approach and optimistic hope for the 
future will depend upon some of these basic principles. 
The increased efficiency of known desalting processes accom- 
plished through research and development is encouraging, but 
continued improvement in this respect must follow the laws of 
diminishing returns, and beyond certain limits no future cost 
reduction can be expected. As earlier indicated, there are, how- 
ever, other avenues of exploration which give promise of reducing 
the cost of desalting processes by taking advantage of potential 
credits accruing from operating ingenuity. Some of these are: 
(a) Use of low grade fuel available in the area or reasonably 
near the site of the conversion plant. 
(6) Combination of processes involving maximum utilization 
of potential energy sources, including nuclear power. 
