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<br />.(', ~ .. , o.-"L <br />. ut;~n:, I <br /> <br />.FINDING AND RECOMMENDATIONS <br /> <br />PROG~~ I~PLL~ENTATION <br /> <br />Progress in the Title I and Title II programs of the Colorado River basin <br />salinity control program has been slow, and the ulti",ate effectiveness <br />and efficiency of both appear questionable. Despite 15 years of Bureau <br />of Reclamation effort, as well as extensive expenditures, key components <br />of both programs still have not been implemented. For example, despite <br />Title I program expenditures of over $312 million, the desalting plant is <br />still not complete, and when completed, it may not be. capable of <br />performing its purpose in a fully effective manner. Currently, estimated <br />Title I program costs at completion are expected to total between $426 <br />million and $485 million. Also, the projected operating costs for the <br />plant have risen from $75 in 1973 to a minimum of $316 for an acre-foot <br />of water, so that the Title I program, in its current form, may no longer <br />be economically desirable. Moreover. the Bureau has been unable to <br />develop the required water source to replace the water that will be lost <br />in the desalting process. <br /> <br />For Title II, despite about $142 million in expenditures, the Bureau has <br />made little headway in developing the non-Federal cooperation necessary <br />to successfully implement the salinity control program within the United <br />States. This situation may be causing the Bureau to Waste Federal funds <br />pursuing projects that have little or no chance of being implemented. <br />Additionally, .the stalled progress may also lead to excessive program <br />costs because the Bureau appears willing to provide unauthorized project <br />work as an inducement to gain the cooperation of local canal system <br />owners. <br /> <br />J-~~~ <br />. ~'.-) <br /> <br />Title I - Desaltine ComDlex <br /> <br />Current status. Although some features of the desalting complex are <br />operational, construction of the desalting plant itself has not yet been <br />completed, Completion of the Title I effort, for which $312 million was <br />expended through fiscal year 1987, has been slowed over the past 15 <br />years. The Bureau maintains that progress was slowed by design changes <br />to incorporate state-of-the-art technology, budget constraints brought <br />about by political deemphasis on domestic programs, and protests <br />regarding desalting membrane (filters) contract awards. The current <br />status of the complex and related Title I features, along with the <br />original and current cost data, are shown in Appendix 2. Total costs of <br />the Title I effort, when completed, are currently estimated to be between <br />$426 million and $485 million. <br /> <br />When the plant becomes operational, it is expected to be able to recover <br />about 79,000 acre-feet of Wellton-Mohawk's annual irrigation drainage of <br />108,000 acre- feet. Current plans call for the unrecoverable portion <br />(29,000 acre-feet) to be diverted down the drainage canal to the Santa <br />Clara Slough, Also, until the plant is operational, all the drainage <br />will have to be bypassed down the drainage canal to avoid fouling <br />Mexico'.s allocated water. In the past, this diversion process has not <br />affected delivery of the states' allocated water because excess River <br />flows, water saved by lining the Coachella Canal, and water stored in <br /> <br />6 <br />