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<br />Facts In Brief
<br />
<br />
<br />In the mid-1950s, Reclamation
<br />formed a desalting group in the
<br />. Denver office division of research.
<br />The group's mission was to carry
<br />out research projects for OSW:
<br />
<br />One of the first actions taken by the Office of
<br />Saline Water (OSW) was to establish four large
<br />desalting test facilities:
<br />, two sea water test facilities (one at
<br />Wrtghtsvllle Beach, North Carolina. and the
<br />other at Freeport, Texas)
<br />, two brackish water facllltles (one at Webster,
<br />North Dakota, and the other at Roswell, New
<br />Mexico).
<br />The first test faclllly was in San Diego at Polnt
<br />Lorna. The installed equipment was transferred to
<br />the U,S, Navy In Guanlanamo Bay, Cuba when
<br />Fidei C8stro shut off the water supply to the naval
<br />statloIL This equipment provided the lnItlal
<br />seawater desaltlng capacity and operated then
<br />from 1963 to 1986.
<br />The San Diego test faCility was relocated to Na-
<br />tional City jusl south 01 San Diego,
<br />In the mld-1950s,
<br />the Bureau of Redama- ........ -...........
<br />lion (Reclamation)
<br />formed a desalUng
<br />group In Its Denver of-
<br />fice Divtslon of Re-
<br />search. The mission of
<br />the group was to carry
<br />out research projects
<br />10rOSW.
<br />Through the '50s
<br />and '60s, OSW research centered around
<br />developing new desalting technologies. At that
<br />time, QSW was divided Into a distillation division
<br />and a membrane division. Funding from the
<br />membrane division for both private and govern-
<br />ment entities resulted In the Reverse OsmosIs
<br />technology we know today. Reclamation primari-
<br />ly worked for the membrane division of OSW
<br />and therefore has, over the years, developed ex-
<br />pertise in brackish water desalination using
<br />Reverse Osmosis and electrodialysis.
<br />Much of Reclamation's early work with OSW
<br />centered around testing unique desalting concept.
<br />
<br />3041
<br />
<br />First generation electrodialysis and Reverse Os-
<br />mosis units were also tested. The units ranged
<br />In sIze from 5,000 to 15,000 gallons per day. Test-
<br />Ing was carried out at a test facility located on a
<br />farm north of Denver and In the hydraulics
<br />laboratory of Reclamation's Denver office.
<br />Toward the end of the '60s, OSW research em-
<br />phasis slUtted tn the direction of field studIes
<br />desJgned to detennlne what type of hardware
<br />worked best. Hardware for a new concept In distil-
<br />lation was tested by OSWs Wr1ghtsvllle Beach
<br />facility at North Carollna. Membrane t.estlng was
<br />carrled oul al OSW. Ro.well Tesl FacUlty, B..
<br />cause of this new research emphasis, In 1968 and
<br />1969, Reclamation was asked to test three tubular
<br />Reverse Osmosls unlts in Roswell: one plate and
<br />frame unit, two splral wound units, and one
<br />electrodialysis unit. Unit capacities ranged from
<br />5,000 10 10,000 gallons per day,
<br />.. .. .. .. , In the early '70s, the
<br />OSW membrane
<br />division embarked on a
<br />program to determine
<br />which of the newly
<br />developed technologies
<br />worked best at sites
<br />other than the govern-
<br />ment test facilities. To
<br />- . - . . - . . . . - . . . - . - accomplish this, OSW
<br />assembled a series 01 trailers equlpped_wtth all
<br />known membrane desalting technologles. These
<br />trailers were then moved around the western
<br />United States and tested on various waters.
<br />RecJarna:tJon was Jnvolved In testJng at Fort Mor-
<br />gan, Colorado; Glllet.te, Wyoming; and Grand
<br />Junctton, Colorado.
<br />One of the findings of the OSW /Reclamation
<br />testlng was that 11 successful membrane desalting
<br />was to be accomplished, special attention to
<br />pretreatment and biological control was neces-
<br />sary regardless of the type of hardware being
<br />used.
<br />
<br />, Early 1950s-Ofllce of Saline Water opens; es-
<br />tablishment of three seawater testing
<br />facilities-In San Diego, CaJlfornla, In
<br />WrlghtsvUle Beach, North Carolina and In
<br />Freeport, Texas; and two bracldsh water
<br />facilities-In Webster, North Dakota, and Ros-
<br />well, New Mexico.
<br />, Mid 1950s-Reclamatlon formed desalting
<br />group In Denver.
<br />, 1968{69-Roswell site tests three tubular
<br />reverse osmosis units.
<br />, 1970s-tested newly developed technologies
<br />at sites In Colorado and Wyoming. Operated
<br />Orange County Joint VTE plant.
<br />, 1972-Office of Saline Waters abolished.
<br />, 1973-Nlxon signs agreement wtth Mexico
<br />President Luis Echeverria to promise the
<br />United States would control salinity of the
<br />water dellvered to Mex:l.co.
<br />, Mid 70s-Eleven reverse osmosis manufac~
<br />turers participate In a four-year .
<br />industry-wide test program.
<br />, Current research projects Include
<br />D the Yuma Desalting Plantr
<br />D an arsenic removal plant In North Dakota,
<br />D a heavy metal removal plant In Colorado,
<br />D a selenIum removal process In Central
<br />Valley In California.
<br />Co trichloroethylene removal plants in Utah
<br />and North Dakola,
<br />Co a 35-megawatt gas-flred cogeneration
<br />plant in Colorado,
<br />D a 5,000 gallons per day multi-stage flash
<br />distillation unit In EI Paso.
<br />
<br />u.s. Department of the (nttrlor
<br />Bureau of Reclamation
<br />~wer Colorado Region
<br />
<br />Yuma Projects Office
<br />P.O. BoxD
<br />7301 Calle Agua Salada
<br />Yuma, AZ 85364
<br />
<br />(602) 343-8113
<br />
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