WSP07097

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum - California
• State: CA
• Basin: Western Slope
• Date: 1/1/1975
• Author: Myron B Holburt
• Title: Annual Report for the Calendar Year 1974
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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criteria and a plan of implementation.
The Chief Engineer of the Colorado
River Board of California is one of the
members of the work group.
The work group conducted a
number of studies to determine future
salinity levels in the lower main stem
that would result under several
alternative water supply and future
depletion levels. These were
combined with possible salinity
control measures to develop a
practicable plan for salinity control.
The Board's staff performed the
engineering studies for the work group
utilizing a computer model of the
Colorado River system developed by
the Bureau of Reclamation.
By the end of 1974, the work group
had completed a draft report to the
Forum on water quality standards for
salinity in the Colorado River system.

Use of Drainage Water

If industries were to consumptively
use agricultural drainage water before
it returns to the basin's water courses
and to dispose of the residual brine so
that the salts would not be returned
to the river system, substantial
quantities of dissolved salts could be
removed from. the river system. The
San Diego Gas and Electric Company
plans to follow this concept in its
proposal for a nuclear power plant in
the Palo Verde Valley with the
necessary condenser cooling water to
be obtained from the Palo Verde
Drain. The first unit, with a capacity
of 900 megawatts of electric power, is
planned for completion in about 1985.
Two additional units are planned for
completion in the following several
years.
The Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California has agreed to
supply 17,000 acre-feet of water a
year which is estimated to be
sufficient for the first unit. The water
is to be released below Parker Dam
for downstream use and the company
will divert a like amount from the

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drain. None of the salt diverted from
the drain will be returned to the river.
San Diego Gas and Electric has
purchased approximately 7,700 acres
of irrigated lands in Palo Verde Valley
and plans to retire from irrigation as
much of the lands as necessary to
offset the quantity of drainage water
to be used for cooling the second and
third units. With no return of salts to
the river, the plans for operation of all
units of the proposed power project
would reduce the salinity of the river
at Imperial Dam by approximately 12
ppm.

Discharge Permits, Agricultural
Return Flows

The Environmental Protection
Agency issued regulations requiring
entities delivering water to, or
handling point source return flows
from, irrigated areas of 3,000 acres or
more, to apply for discharge permits
under the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System
established by the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act Amendments of
1972 (P.L. 92-500). These permits
have been required of the major
irrigation areas along the Colorado
River in Arizona and California.
During the year, the Bureau of
Reclamation filed for such permits for
the Wellton-Mohawk Unit, North Gila
Unit, South Gila Unit, and the Yuma
Mesa Unit in Arizona, and for the
Reservation Main Drain in California.
The North Gila Valley Irrigation
District has filed for a permit for the
Bruce Church Drain in the North Gila
Division. The California Regional
Water Quality Control Board received
filings for permits from Imperial
Irrigation District, Palo Verde Irrigation
District, and Coachella Valley County
Water District.
The EPA released draft permits for
review and comment. As drafied, the
permits will require the permittees to
monitor, at two-week intervals, both
supply and drainage waters. This will
cover physical parameters of flow,
suspended solids, total dissolved
solids, and nitrates.

Regional Development

The Board's staff reviewed plans for
water and energy development
projects in the Color.ado River Basin,
determined their effect on California's
Colorado River water rights and
interests, and attempted to obtain
changes where necessary. Major
interest during 1974 continued to
center on studies and proposals for
developing the Upper Colorado River
Basin's coal and oil shale deposits.

Western United States Water Plan
Study

Official field review drafts of the
Bureau of Reclamation's Western
United States Water Plan Study report
were transmitted to California for
State review and comment during
July, 1974. The Board coordinated its
comments with the State Department
of Water Resources and other state
agencies.
The draft report took the format of
outlining major problems relating to
water resourcE!s in the West by
presenting Westwide, regional and
statewide issues. Because the studies
were curtailed by the Federal Office
of Management and Budget, the
report did not present a general plan
to meet the future water needs of the
West as was specified by the
Colorado River Basin Project Act of
1968.

Water for Energy

Several studies were made in 1974
by federal and private agencies
relating to development of the coal
and oil shale resources of the Upper
Colorado River Basin and the impact
on water resources. As such
developments will deplete the basin's
water resources and cause increases
in the river's salinity, the Board's staff
carefully reviewed the studies,