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U~~~-l~b l~;~l CRBSCF - BIWC . satisfy MCI;ican salinity requirements without impactitll the basin stales' waler resources. Article 102(a) further stated thai the United States could use rhe waler conserved by linitllthe Co.chell. Canal during a period of tillU: known as the interim period.. The interim period commenccd the first year the fedenlgovemment was able to use Water Coache11a Canal water to replace bypassed WMlDD flows. The interim period ends "the fint year that the Secretary deliven main stream Colorado River waler 10 California in an amount less than the sum of the quantitics'requened by (I) the California agencies under contracts made pursuant to scction S ofthe Boulder Canyon Act and (2) Federal establishmcnn to mectlheir water righls acquired in California in accordance with Ihe Supreme Court decreed in Ariiona against California." After rhe inlerim period ends, Reclamation may usc the YDP 10 satisfy the salinity requirements of Minute No. 242 and to salvage water to conscrve system storage by delivering thc salvaged water as part oC someone's Colorado River Water entitlement. if., 5'.>.) / .(,g 50.,) L& 000 I Capabilities of the YDP , The Yuma Desalting Plmt has the capacity to desalt 73 million gallons ofWMIDD water per day, or 96,500 acre-ft (yr. After desalting 96,500 acre.fTiyr. 68,500 acre-Nyr of product waler at approximatcly 300 p/m remains for delivery to Mexico. The product water may be blended with some untrealed drainage water before il is delivered to Mexico. The water remaining in Ihe bypass drain downstream ofYDP would consist ofunblended,untreat~ WMIDD drainage waler and YOP rejccl water--approximalely 27,000 acre-Nyr of water with a salinity of approximately 10,000 p/m. YOP was constructed to meet a dual purpose: to conlrol salinities in Ihe Colorado River between the Imperial Dam and the Northerly Inlernational Boundary; and to do this withoulusing basin state water reserves. Had the YDP been constrocted only the meet the salinity requirements of Minule No. 242 the plant would have been built with less Irea'tment capacity than 73 mgd. However, because it was built to replace the same quantity of water WMIOD bypassed around Morelos Dam, it possesses mort: tre3Ut1ent capacity than is required to only meet salinity requirements. This capacity is what Reclamation plans to tap to treal water for non. Cederal users. EnviroJl71le71ralIsslles ] P.k:l:> . During YDP'. construction, the WMIOD drainage water flowed via the BypaSl Canal system almosr to the Gulf of Cali Cornia, nourishing a wetland at its tmninus -- the Santa Clara Wetland (Cienqa de Santa Clara). Over time the wetland illtreaSed in size from about 40 acres to about lO,Ooo acres and now provides habitat for several endangered species of animals and plants, and between 50 and 100 species oClIon-endangered plants. Mexico recently declared the Cienqa de Santa Clara a national environmental preserve. Recent Reclamation environmental . assessments predict that operating YDP at one-thIrd capacity will have a minimal effcct on the wetland (loss of approximarely 2,000 acres). However, full operation ofYDP will have a greater ~ect on the wetland. While Reclamation hasn't performed an in depth analysis, we have identified porential sources of Water that could be routed to the Cienega de Santa Clara to mitigatc YDP operarion. Water could be sent from drains in the Mexicali or Yuma Valley to the Cienqa. Reclamation is eurrently c:ollabotating with several environmental group> on an inter-agency, international srudy of the Colorado River delta. In this way, Reelamation can help develop alternalive mcthods of supplying the Cicnega de Santa Clara with the water thar sustains it. This partnership also provides Rcclamation an opporru,nity to eval,uale impacts to the Cienega under vanous operaung conditions of rhe YDP and to develop mitigation for impacts to the existing Cienega wetland. Current Status The YDP was essentially completed and placed into opcl1ltion in April 1992. Ir successfully operated ~I one-third capacityunlil early January 1993 when Il became apparent thar, as a result of more than ~ve million acre-feet of flood flow releases from PalOted Rock Dam on the Gila River, the amount of water required by the Mexican Water Treat~ would be exceeded and salinity levels of the dehvered water would be better than rhar required to mect Minure No. 242. It has not opcrated since January 1993, as Rcclamation has met the salinity rt:quirements of Minute No. 242 through: . bypassing all WMIDD drainage water to the Santa Clara wetlands and replacillg the water with water conservcd by lining the Coachella MarUlint YUI"UI [)ndllU21 PlmeJ Wallr-1996