M. Karl Wood Mike Hightower New Mexico Water Sandia National Resources Research Laboratory Institute The New Tularosa National Desalination Research Facility: What is it and What Will it do for the Region?

Current Desalination Trends Nearly all use sea water for constant supply of source water and easy concentrate disposal About 12,500 desalination plants in the world Supply 5.5 billion gallons per day or 1% of world’s drinking water Reverse osmosis and distillation are most common systems

Current Desalination Trends Current Desalination Trends

Current Desalination Trends $10 billion investment expected in next 5 years to increase desalination by 1.5 billion gallons per day $70 billion investment expected in next 20 years to increase desalination by 10 billion gallons per day (1% increase in drinking water)

Major Desalination Need: Technologies to Address Inland Issues US Saline Aquifers Inland desalination has major concerns such as saline water availability, energy use, process scale, concentrate disposal Needs and applications are international in scope including the U.S.-Mexico border Costs

The BOR and Sandia received congressional funding in 2002 to: Identify desalination research opportunities for a Tularosa Basin facility Identify a regional, national, and international role that would complement other “national water research centers” Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Study Objectives Develop a preliminary facility design plus operation and management plans Complete draft study by 2003 Develop facility design/build plan for 2004 start of construction

Sandia and Bureau of Reclamation in Denver managed the study and coordinated all technical support –Consultant – Livingston and Associates, Alamogordo –WRRI – meeting coordination, web access of all public information, public outreach, etc. –USGS – resource availability support Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Study Roles and Responsibilities Established an executive committee of regional and national desalination and water resources experts to guide in facility vision and conceptual design

Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility NM WRRI NM State Engineer USGS/NM UTEP City of Alamogordo City of El Paso City of Phoenix City of Tucson USBR/Denver USBR/Yuma USBR/El Paso USBR/Alb Sandia Labs Livingston & Associates Executive Committee

Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Location Benefits Access to municipal, wind, solar, and geothermal energy sources Access to large quantities of high permeability, shallow saline groundwater Wide range of water chemistries, over shortdistances Many concentrate disposal options

Focus on inland brackish ground water desalination research Evaluate technologies that address environmental issues of concentrate disposal or eliminate concentrate Evaluate pretreatment technologies needed for process efficiencies for: A. inland waters B.varying water chemistries C.varying water contaminants D. produced water Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Mission

Develop cost-effective uses for smallscale applications Develop applications of renewable energy to desalination and concentrate reuse processes This focus complements other national water treatment research centers Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Mission

Executive committee met since January 2002, toured Tularosa Basin sites and pilot desal operations Consultant toured BOR Yuma Facility for background information and research facility design lessons Feasibility study information, background and concepts, meeting minutes, and presentations are available on WRRI web wrri.nmsu.edu Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Feasibility Study Status

Report with facility design, location, site plans, and organizational and management structures is available on the WRRI web site Environmental and cultural investigations completed, well permitting obtained, design/build planning completed, groundbreaking June 2004 Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Feasibility Study Status

Site located for: easy access good visibility water availability 20 acre site with areas for: concentrate use research renewable energy desalination research ~12,000 square foot desalination research facility Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Design Highlights

Desalination facility: 6 test bays for pilot system testing at 30 gpm control room water lab research offices resource/education room conference room operations viewing and tour areas passive solar building Shop and chemical storage areas and exterior pads for large scale and renewable energy applications Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility Design Highlights

Tularosa Basin National Desalination Research Facility

Evaporation Ponds Area for Renewable Energy Applications And Research Area for Future Expansion & Large Scale Testing Indoor Testing, Laboratories, And Office Areas Area for Agriculture Research

Storage Area Shop Area Offices, Conference Room, Computer Complex, Display Area Lab Test Bays

Contract Award Design/build contract with Laguna Construction, Inc. of Albuquerque on July 30, 2003 Subcontract to Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. to provide: Architectural and engineering design services Construction administration during actual construction

Contract Award Well drilling started in October 2003 Presently: 5 productions wells 120 gpm – 1200 TDS 80 gpm – 3000 TDS 160 gpm – 5000 TDS

Summary Schedule 8/18/03 – Project Kickoff 9/9/03 – Presentation to Alamogordo City Council 11/25/03 – 35 % Design Review by Executive Committee 2/12/04 – 60 % Design Review by Executive Committee 4/13/04 – 90 % Design Review by Executive Committee

Facility Groundbreaking 29 June 2004

Completion Timeline Exterior test areas Water storage and distribution system January 2005 Building completion April 2005 Initial Operation Navy system on exterior pads Internal research bays operational Full operation January 2005 June 2005 October 2005

Research Opportunities Cooperative Research with government match (University opportunities) Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) (Government and Industry on Fast Track) Partnerships with other government agencies such as EPA, Sandia, Navy, etc. Industrial Research Groups (such as the NSF Water Quality Center at the University of Arizona)