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bA San Diego County Water Authority, ~ A Public Agency 3211 Fifth Avenue. San Diego, California 92103.5718 (619) 682-4100 FAX (619) 297-0511 o ...... c..o N August 20, 1999 Jack A. Barnett, Executive Director, Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum 106 West 500 South, Suite 101 Bountiful, UT 84010-6232 Dear Mr. Barnett: The San Diego County Water Authority has received the 1999 Review of Water Quality Standards for Salinity in the Colorado River System (1999 Review) and apprec;iates the opportunity to comment on this document's findings. This letter provides the Authority's comments on the 1999 Review. In recent years, about 85 percent of the Authority's imported water supply has come from the Colorado River, via the Metropolitan Water District. We are a water wholesaler to 23 member agencies, which have relatively few local resources. Depending upon the availability of local supplies, the Authority provides between 75 to 95 percent of the water used by the region's 2.7 million people. Thus, the Colorado River has a tremendous' impact on water quality in San Diego County. The Authority has long advocated ways in which to reduce the salinity of its water supply. Excess salinity causes large, measurable economic damage to our region and adds significant costs to recycled water projects, which are an important component of our future water supply. The city of San Diego, for example, is spending millions of dollars to demineralize recycled product water so that it may be beneficially used. The Authority and its member agencies are also working hard to reduce salts introduced locally that affect such projects. However, about half the salt load in the water used for recycling comes from the Authority's water supply. A recent study by the Metropolitan Water District and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) provided data showing that a 100 mg/L reduction in TDS would avoid $28 million in annual costs to the San Diego region. The Authority supports the recommendations made in the 1999 Review, including the numeric salinity criteria and plan of implementation. However, we are concerned with the pace of salt load reduction and whether the long-term salinity targets may be met. As the 1999 Review indicates, the 1998 target of 1.105 million tons of salt reduction fell short by about 35 percent, leaving 384,000 tons of reduction to be made up. A similar type of shortfall was also described in the 1996 Review. The Authority hopes that the Forum's'plan of implementation and recommended funding levels are sufficient for the recommended acceleration in salt removal. CITIES . Oel MClr' hcondido' Notional City . Oceanside' Paway' S'ln 0.000 MEMBER AGENCIES IRRIGATION DISTRICTS WATER DISTRICTS . Sanla F.' South allY . H.Iil' Olay . Villa . 5l:m Di.guito 'Voll.cllol MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTS . Corlsblld . RlImona . Ollv.nhol" . Rlncondet Diablo . Pod..Oam . Volleye.nt., . Rllinbow . Yulmo COUNTY . Son Oi"1I0 (.xofficill) PUBLIC UTILITY DISTR/( FEOERAL AGENCY . Fallbrook 28. Pendleton Million., Reu,."Qlion PRI" en PAPFR