Laserfiche WebLink
<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />9/7/'1/ l ~ <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Saline Water Transport and Use Office <br /> <br />Status and Schedules <br /> <br />C) August 12, 1982 <br />W <br />CC) The Saline Water Transport and Use Office was established as a Project Office <br />,~ of the Upper Colorado Region, and Michael J. Clinton was named Acting Program <br />Manager by letter of June 17, 1982, to begin on June 27, 1982. In that <br />capacity, the program manager reports directly to Cliff Barrett, the Regional <br />Director. The "Acting" designation will remain until signing of a coopera- <br />tive agreement among Reclamation and industry providing for study management <br />and financing. <br /> <br />The office is. responsible for activities relating to long-distance transport <br />and use of Colorado River saline water, including the "Aquatrain" proposal of <br />W. R. Grace & Co. Responsibilities for evaluating local uses of saline <br />water remain with the offices evaluating individual salinity control units, <br />and responsibilities for technology research and demonstration activities <br />remain with the Colorado River Water Quality Office. The Saline Water <br />Transport and: Use Office will be staffed equally by Reclamation and indus- <br />try personnel with office space being made available for other potential <br />participants. <br /> <br />In an effort to broaden the base of participation in the long-distance <br />transport and use concept, Regional Director Barrett, on June 22, 1982, for, <br />warded a formal Notice of Initiation of Investigation to about 300 entities. <br />Addressees in~luded coal producers, electric utilities, transportation <br />companies, environmental interests, and State and Federal Governmental <br />offices from throughout the Colorado River Basin. Responses to that notice <br />have been very encouraging, indicating strong interest from a broad ~ange of <br />interests. <br /> <br />The W. R. Grace & Co. has conducted and continues to hold meetings with <br />representatives of the environmental community regarding their Aquatrain <br />proposal. Reclamation personnel have participated in that dialog. From <br />. those meetings has evolved a degree of willingness from the environmental. <br />interests to assist Grace and Reclamation in identifying and addressing <br />environmental issues as a part of the joint study activities. <br /> <br />A recent and significant advance in study progress involves an expression of <br />interest from the SDG&E (San Diego Gas and Electric Company). SDG&E antici- <br />pates developing their Sundesert site, located about 25 miles southwest of <br />Blythe, California, as a regional coal-based power generation facility for <br />the early 1990's. SDG&E has met with a number of southwest utilities to <br />seek broader participation in developing the site. As the lead utility, <br />SDG&E will work with Reclamation and Grace in evaluating the Aquatrain <br />concepts for delivery of an upgraded coal product to the Blythe site. <br /> <br />Reclamation has also been utilizing diplomatic channels to open up dialog <br />wIth other countries regarding their potential participation in the studies <br />and their needs for western U.S. coal that could be delivered via pipeline <br />us~ng saline water from the Colorado River Basin. In that regard, plans are <br />be1ng formulated for discussions in Japan involving representatives of Grace <br /> <br />'::il <br />..~ <br />I <br />J <br />;,] <br /> <br /> <br />'3 <br /> <br />,'" <br />