WSP11760

• File Number: 8273.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control - Federal Agencies - Bureau of Reclamation
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1986
• Author: DOI BOR
• Title: Salinity Update - January 1986 - A Quarterly Report on the Colorado River Water Improvement Program
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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constructlon 01 the Yuma Desattmg Plant at
Yuma Anzona The S35 mIllion contract was
awarded to complete the desaltlllg plant
pretreatment taahtlss and 10 constl'\lCt
eqUipment ana office bUildings The
contractor will have 3'/2 years locompletethe
worK Pretreatment start-up is planned tor
mid-1M? and the oesaltlng plant 1$
scheduled for completl()(l In late 1969 or
199J
USDA's involvement relates speotically!o
onfalTT'l treatments and water management
Improvements In the WMIDD (VlIet/too-
MOhawk. Irngatlon and Dramage OIstnct) In
Yuma. Anzona Any reduction 01 drainage
return flows would rodu<:e the demands and
costs of operatmg the deSaltUlg plant By
Improving Irngatlon etfJClenoes. a reduction
of deep percolation Into ground water
reduces the amount of drainage return flows
leaVIng the 65.1))) acre WMIDD
The Weilt()(H\.1Ohawk onfarm Federal
cost-shanng program 1$ fully funded by
Reclamation. Under authOflty of a BA~SCS
Title I Memoranc:lum of Agreement
(December 1974). ReClamanon r~mburses
SCS lor cost-shanng and techmcal
as5Istance provIOeCI to Indlllldual partlopants
through long-term contracts The initial
program for 23.BOJ acres was ellpanded
during the annual renewal 01 the agreement
m 1964 to 48,c::o:) acres
ThiS last renewal proYlded thaI all SCS
contracting would be completed by
September 30. 1985. and that all wal~
management ana salimty contrOl land
treatment practices would be installed by
April 30.1986,
In 1965, 55 contracts were developed ana
SIgned CQ\Ienng 4,519 acres- Practices
applied IncludeCI 31 mIles 01 dllCh lining.
4,822 acres of laser land le0.9ing. and 787
structures for water contrOl and
measurement
The SCS IS deSIgning and asSIsting
taflTlE!fS to InstalllmgatlOll systems to reduce
Imgatloo return nOw As Of September 1985.
376 contracts NIlE! been de\Ie+ope(l for
a5S1Stance on 48.588 acres Treatment WIll
exceed the 48.0:0 acre prOf8C1 goal SInce
implementabOn 01 the Colorado River salinity
program began .n 1975. me .mgallon relum
f1ov.-s I'Iave been reduced about haJt or
approximately 100,c::o:) acre-feet

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Figure 1.

Solar Ponds
try Stan Hlghlower CoordmalOf
Ad-oai"ICtc'CI Energy AppI>eallOllS
En9"'eenng and RooearC/1 Cenw
Bureau 01 ReclamatlOl1
A considerable amount of WOI1<. has been
accomphShed this past year on me 8 Paso
solar pond test prQfeCt. Redamatloo Elf'ller-ed
Into a contrac1 ......th UTEP (The Unlveffilty of
Tel(8SatEI Paso) In July 19!33topanJopateln
thiS proJ8Cl as a cooperallve effort Wlth UTEP,
Bruce Foods Corporation. and 8 Paso
Electnc
An eXisting OB-acre (3.3CXl~) lined pond,
shown In figure 1. has been convened to an
operational solar sall-gradlent pond and IS
presenUy belOg lested 10 determme lts
lttermal per10rmance while proYldu)g
process heat In SUbsequent phases 01 the
pro}9:t an organic Rankine poy.oer system
Will be Installed to generate electnc ~
and a 1Q\',i lemperature dlslllJatlon system will
be added to desalt bracklstl water. USlng the
cond as the pnnopaJ energy source
The 8 Paso Pf010Cl takes advantage of
several especially favorable SituationS The
pond. located at the BI1JCe FOOds canning
plant In ncrtl1east 8 Paso. was constructed
by the previOUS Owner ollhe faollty to store
water for flre protec1Joo. SInce CIty water was
not available at the $lle When the plant was
solo to Bruce FOOdS. city water was made
avallaOle, and the pond was no longer
r1€'eOed For lt1IS reason, Bruce FOOds has
dOnated the use 01 the pond lor ltle pro,ect
Because so many 01 the required facilities
were already In place It was evident ltlat It

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would coslless to conller1lt1IS eXisting pond
to a solar pond than It would cost toexca...ate
and COflStruct a new pond at another
location,
Two evaporation ponds were ronstructed
by excavating an area approximately 68 by
110 feet and a 36-mil Hypalon hner was
Installed In each, The ponds wefe used
InitIally tOdlSSOl\le the sail and to separate out
lt1e inSOlubles to adlleve maximum c1anty
belore the salt SOlution was pumped Into the
main solar pond The evaporation ponds WlII
be used later- for makeup bnne to the solar
pond. to recyt:1e the water being flushed fram
!tie upper surface layer of the pond. and to
pfOVlde COOling water lor the power system
The heat extractIOn system ronSlstS 01l'w9
suctM:1n and twO Injection diffusers. a pump. a
heat exChanger. and associated piping The
diffusers are semicircular and can be raised
and lowered to determIne the best locatlOfl
WIthin tne lower storage zone as shown in
figure 2 The heat exhanger and pump have
been Installed In an eXIsting eqUipment
bUilding as shQwrl In figure 3
An Instrurner'ltatJon tower and a 9radl6nt
establistlment diffuser have beerllnslalled
near the center of !he solar POnd The
InStrumentatlQrl system conSISts 01 ground
sensors to measure heat loss to the ground.
In-pond measu~ts of temperature. salt
COI"lCeI1tratlOf1. and solar radlatlon
penetratIOn: and heal extractlQr'l system
measuremerlt olllow rate. temperature. and
heat flow A MAC 65 data acQUIMlon system
has been Installed to mOOltor thiS
InstrumentatlQrl, In addition. a portable