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<br />Title I Program <br />Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act <br /> <br />No. 242. The most important provision <br />requires that the average annual salinity of <br />the Colorado River water (approximately <br />1,360,000 acre-feet) delivered upstream <br />from Morelos Dam (Mexico's principal <br />diversion dam) would not exceed the <br />average annual salinity of the water <br />arriving at Imperial Dam by more than <br />115 parts per million (ppm) plus or minus <br />30 ppm. This value is known as the salinity <br />differential, <br /> <br />The United States made several com- <br />mitments to secure the Basin States <br />support for Minute No. 242. Among these <br />were that the Basin States would not bear <br />the cost of fulfilling any agreement with <br />Mexico and that the United States would <br />recognize replacement of (1) the water lost <br />to the desalting plant reject stream and (2) <br />any bypassed WMIDD irrigation drainage <br />as a national obligation, <br /> <br />Public Law 93-320, passed June 24,1974, <br />authorizes projects that allow the United <br />States to comply with Minute No, 242 and <br />satisfy the COnCernB of the Basin States. <br /> <br />Major Title I Works <br /> <br />Major Title I works are the Yuma Desalting <br />Plant, the WMlDD irrigation drainage <br />reduction program, concrete lining of the <br />first 49 miles of the Coachella Canal in <br />California, and a well field in Arizona <br />known as the Protective and Regulatory <br />Pumping Unit (PRPU). <br /> <br />Yuma Desalting Plant <br /> <br />The YDP has begun desalting operations <br />and will be operated at one-third capacity <br />by the end of fiscal year 1992. <br /> <br />When operated at full capacity, the YDP <br />will recover the majority ofWMIDD <br />irrigation drainage for treaty deliveries to <br /> <br />ES-2 <br /> <br />Mexico. The total cost ofthe recovered <br />water will be $610 to $699 per acre-foot, <br />comparable to the cost of desalting water in <br />other areas of the country. Full-capacity <br />operation will cost approximately <br />$32 million per year. <br /> <br />Reclamation has secured a long-term power <br />source (capacity and energy) for the YDP <br />and the PRPU. Under this arrangement, <br />Western Area Power Administration will <br />make least-cost, spot market power <br />purchases until September 3D, 2021. For <br />now and the near future, this is the least <br />costly source available. However, <br />Reclamation will periodically review and <br />evaluate the power market to ensure the <br />YDP and the PRPU continue to receive <br />required power at the lowest possible cost. <br /> <br />Reclamation is also pursuing an aggressive <br />YDP cost reduction program. Some of the <br />measures are described below, All cost <br />savings are based on full-capacity operation <br />of the YDP. <br /> <br />. Increasing the life of desalting membranes <br />(potential annual savings of$1.5 million). <br /> <br />. Improving pretreatment processes to <br />potentially reduce costs for chemicals or <br />equipment and membrane replacement. <br /> <br />. Marketing desalted water. The city of <br />Yuma has investigated purchasing water <br />treated by the YDP to help meet its <br />increasing need for potable water, The city <br />has decided to meet its short-term needs <br />by expanding its own water treatment <br />facilities but will pursue purchasing <br />YDP-treated water in the future, <br /> <br />. Marketing the YDP's waste calcium <br />carbonate sludge. However, even if the <br />sludge were given away, up to $2.7 million <br />in disposal costs could be saved per year. <br /> <br />. Studying lower pressure and higher <br />recovery membranes (potential annual <br />savings of$1.5 million), <br />