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<br />POTENTIAL FOR SALINITY CONTROL <br /> <br />The potential for reducing salt discharge from the Palo Verde <br />Subarea of the District by means of a salinity control project will be <br />influenced by a nuclear powerplant proposed for construction adjacent <br />to the District. Consequently, the first step in analyzing salinity <br />control potential was to analyze conditions with the powerplant. <br /> <br />Sundesert Nuclear Plant <br />The San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E) proposed to con- <br />struct a nuclear power generating plant on the Palo Verde Mesa adja- <br />cent to the Palo Verde Irrigation District, which will have a benefi- <br />cial effect on the salinity of the Colorado River. Two 950-megawatt <br />generating units are planned, the first scheduled to be in service in <br />1985 and the second 2 to 3 years later. <br />It is estimated that the plant will need 34,000 acre-feet of <br />cool i ng water--17,000 acre-feet for each unit. Spent cool i ng water <br />will be disposed of in evaporation ponds. SDG&E has arranged to <br />purchase 17,000 acre-feet of water from the Metropolitan Water <br />Di stri ct, who will make it avail ab 1 e at Parker Dam for downstream <br />release. Additional water for the plant will be provided by the <br />powerplant. The amount of water that they will provide is presently <br />estimated to be 12,920 acre-feet, but may change with future negotia- <br />tions. This water will also be made available at Parker Dam for <br />downstream release. To secure the rest of the water, SDG&E has <br />acquired 7,260 "water duty" acres in the Palo Verde Irrigation <br />District and will transfer water presently consumed by irrigated crops <br />on the acquired lands. The amount is presently estimated to be 4,080 <br />acre-feet per year. <br />Instead of diverting powerplant cooling water directly from the <br />Colorado River, however, SDG&E will pump its water supply from the <br />Palo Verde Outfall Drain near the southern end of the District. <br />The 7,260 acres of irrigable land acquired by SDG&E would consume <br />much more water annually than the amount to be transferred to the <br /> <br />" op- 1", , <br />'.-1.,.-' -.; , <br /> <br />22 <br />