The Proposed Lower Colorado River Project - An Outline of the Study

Document: Attachment A, The Proposed Colorado River Project, 1963, page 7some municipal and industrial water needs, particularly in southern California, that might be met in large part by sea water conversion plants. The energy necessary for these plants could be provided by nuclear reactors as well as fossil fuel processes. The salt water supply could come from the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California, or from certain brackish water supplies. Base-load generation of electricity could be a companion of such conversion plants. This possibility emphasizes the value of peaking power from hydroelectric plants. The study should be broad enough to consider fully all of these possibilities. Financing The bulk of the financing of such a vast project must come from the sale of electric power and municipal and industrial water. The study must recognize the increasing high value of hydroelectric power for peaking and, therefore, the importance of power plants on the Colorado River. Power revenues from the existing Hoover Dam powerplant, the powerplants at Parker and Davis Dams, and from the additional power plants to be constructed on the Colorado River at Marble Canyon, Bridge Canyon--and wherever else such plants on the Colorado may prove feasible--including powerplants in combination with saline water plants, should be utilized in repaying the costs of water development. More power production is necessary, additionally, to meet the growing need for energy in the whole region. Combination nuclear 7Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 817,372 byte