Yuma Area Office
Facilities
The Water Quality Improvement Center
Title I Salinity Control Research
Title I of the 1974 Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act provides the means for the United States to comply with Salinity obligations to Mexico in accordance with Minute No. 242. Research conducted under Title I develops technologies and methods to economically improve water quality. These improvements make more water available for agricultural, municipal, or environmental use in the United States and Mexico. Technology developed through research is also used to treat agricultural drainage for return or reuse. These new technologies and methods provide Reclamation with more options to manage groundwater and meet salinity obligations to Mexico in accordance with Minute No. 242.
Fiscal Year 2005 Salinity Control Research Projects
Title I Salinity Control Program Management and Water Quality Improvement Center (WQIC) Efficiency
The purpose of this program is to find ways to operate the Yuma Desalting Plant at a lower cost. The WQIC supports that purpose by serving as the primary site for this research. The WQIC is a 14,000 square foot building which houses membrane water treatment research equipment from bench-scale to full-scale. It is one of only two Reclamation-operated applied research facilities searching for desalination solutions. Research conducted at the WQIC is valuable outside Reclamation because results can be applied at other reverse-osmosis desalination plants in the United States and around the world. A Technical Assistance Team meets twice annually to provide technical guidance regarding best utilization of the WQIC for testing improvements to the YDP, developing new water treatment processes, evaluating improvements to existing processes, and troubleshooting problems with existing plants.
Other fiscal year 2005 Salinity Control Research Projects include:
- WQIC Technical Support and Program Development
- YDP Aluminum Bronze Life Analysis
- Nontoxic Storage of YDP Reverse Osmosis Elements
- YDP Pretreatment and Reverse Osmosis Technologies
- Identification of Replacement Elements for YDP
- Forward Osmosis Water Purification Process
- Chlorine-Resistant Low-Pressure Membrane Study
- High-Purity High-Rejection Cellulose Acetate Membranes
- Plant Information Management System
Current In-House and Partnered Research Projects
For more information about the Title I Salinity Control Research Program or the Water Quality Improvement Center, contact Angela Adams, Desalting Group, through email or by phone at 928-343-8114.
For Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Dial: 711
Webmaster: sha-YAO-WebComments@usbr.gov
