Reclamation’s Desalting Research in Yuma, Arizona
The Bureau of Reclamation delivers water to more than 20 million people in the lower Colorado River basin through a series of dams and water distribution systems. This water grows our nation’s crops, supplies cities and rural communities, serves industries, and provides recreational opportunities. Presently, the Basin is in the midst of a prolonged drought that affects both water quantity and water quality, so Reclamation is exploring solutions to help make additional water supplies available for its customers throughout the Southwest.
Water quality is essential to water availability - water that is high in minerals, or has been impaired by industrial or municipal use, could be re-used and made available for potable purposes if extensively treated. In turn, these “recycled” water resources could increase the overall available water supply. But treatment of low quality water is expensive, and in many areas, this is not economical.
That’s where water treatment research comes in. Research develops cost-effective technologies and methods to economically improve water quality. For more than 10 years, Reclamation’s Water Quality has been working to identify processes and technologies to help reduce the cost of operating the Yuma Desalting Plant (a 73 million-gallon-per-day reverse osmosis desalting plant) and to develop emerging advanced water treatment technologies that may reduce costs of treating impaired water sources.
The Center is a 14,000-square-foot building which houses membrane water treatment research equipment. It is one of only two Reclamation-operated applied research facilities searching for desalination solutions. Its research is valuable outside Reclamation because results can be applied at other reverse-osmosis desalination plants in the United States and around the world. Technology developed through the Center’s research is also used to treat agricultural drainage for return or reuse. These new technologies and methods also provide Reclamation with more options to manage groundwater and meet salinity obligations for water deliveries to Mexico.
For more information regarding the Water Quality Improvement Center, visit:
www.usbr.gov/lc/yuma/facilities/wqic/yao_facilities_wqic.html
Last updated: Fall/Winter 2008