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<br />0033J8 <br /> <br />Balancing Water Needs on the Lower Colorado River: <br />Recommendations of the Yuma Desalting Plant/Cienega de <br />Santa Clara Workgroup <br /> <br />I. The Yuma Desalting Plant/Cienega de Santa Clara Workgroup <br /> <br />"Run the Yuma Desalting Plant! The Federal Government needs to fulfill its <br />promise to the Basin States and salvage valuable Colorado River water resources," one <br />side argues. <br />"No! Don't run the Desalting Plant. It's too expensive and will cause irreparable <br />damage to the Cienega de Santa Clara," argues the other side. <br />"But the Cienega is artificial and is just an unintended consequence of the failure <br />to run the Plant! And besides, it's in Mexico. Let Mexico solve their own <br />environmental problems," the first side responds. <br />"Unintended or not, the Cienega is extremely valuable habitat and needs to be <br />preserved! Impact to the Cienega will further threaten the survival of several listed <br />endangered species," the other side counters. <br /> <br />While the rhetoric over the issues related to the operation of the Yuma Desalting <br />Plant (YDP) have made for interesting panel discussions at western water conferences, <br />it has not been the kind of productive dialogue that will lead to a converging of <br />viewpoints. Rather than continue down a path of increased confrontation - and no <br />action - Sid Wilson, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project, thought a new <br />approach should be tried. Sid decided to invite a group of knowledgeable individuals to <br />form the YDP/Cienega Workgroup to see if a better solution could be reached. The <br />members of the YDP/Cienega Workgroup were asked to share their expertise and ideas. <br />The YDP/Cienega Workgroup would focus on developing a solution that would both <br />offset the impact of the continued bypass of return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk <br />Irrigation and Drainage District and preserve the viability of the Cienega de Santa <br />Clara. <br /> <br />The members ofthe YDP/Cienega Workgroup were asked to participate in the <br />process as individuals rather than as stakeholders. In other words, members did not <br />have to represent the position of their employers nor in any way was it assumed that the <br />groups or agencies they normally represent would even agree with or endorse the <br />Workgroup's recommendations.l The members of the Workgroup included (in <br />alphabetical order): Thomas Carr, Jim Cherry, Michael Cohen, Peter Culp, Larry <br />Dozier, Roger Gingrich, Pat Graham, Herb Guenther, Jennifer Pitt, Bill Rinne, and Sid <br />Wilson. On several occasions, Francisco Oyarzbal assisted the Workgroup members by <br />providing expert advice pertaining to conditions in Mexico. <br /> <br />1 At the specific request of the State of Arizona, water users who hold contracts with the United States for <br />the delivery of Colorado River water, and other stakeholders interested in the operation ofthe Yuma <br />Desalting Plant, representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation have participated in meetings and <br />discussions of this ad-hoc group. Notwithstanding this participation, the content of this report does not <br />represent the official position of, or an endorsement of, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. <br />Bureau of Reclamation, or the individual employees that participated in this process. <br /> <br />Recommendations of the YDP/Cienega Workgroup <br />