Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute
Las Cruces New Mexico
January 29, 2002
Attendees
Lorenzo Arriaga - USBR/El Paso
Tom Jennings - USBR/Denver
Calvin Chavez - NM State Engineers Office
Mike Landis - USBR/El Paso
Bobby Creel - NM WRRI
Eddie Livingston - Livingston & Assoc.
Ed Fierro - El Paso Water Utility
Andrea Mendoza - NM State Engineers Office
Vipin Gupta - Sandia
Mike Norris - USBR/Yuma WQIC
Mike Hightower - Sandia
Jim Pacheco - Sandia National Laboratory
Tom Hinkebein - Sandia National Laboratory
Karl Wood - NM WRRI
Rick Huff - USGS/Las Cruces
Welcome/Goals and Objectives- Mike Hightower
Mike welcomed members of the Executive Committee (EC) to the kickoff meeting for the Tularosa Basin Desalination Research Center - Facility Study. A table with the meeting participant contact information has been developed and is attached. Mike had everyone introduce themselves and then reviewed the proposed meeting agenda, and presented the following meeting goals and objectives:
Desalination Legislation Review and USBR Desal Program - Tom Jennings
Tom reviewed the FY02 legislation that directed the coordination of a facility study by Sandia and the USBR of a Tularosa Basin Desalination Research Center. Tom also presented a history of the USBR's association with desalination research and how they have managed that program for the past several decades. He then discussed the current USBR desal research activities. He mentioned that the USBR and Sandia had organized the Executive Committee to help provide input on the facility study concepts and help review the conceptual center design, management, and operational structure development so that the Tularosa center would complement other facilities and become a national and international resource. Tom identified Mike Norris, Mike Landis, and Lorenzo Arriaga also of the USBR as technical representatives on the Executive Committee. They will provide both national and regional input for the study.
Overview of Sandia Water Initiative and Desal Research - Mike Hightower
Mike reviewed Sandia's Water Initiative and their efforts in water treatment research. He also discussed Sandia's efforts associated with saline water engineering in support of DOE. Those efforts include brine disposal to support the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, brine and salt research in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and brine handling as part of their geothermal energy research. Mike identified Tom Hinkebein and Jim Pacheco of Sandia as technical experts in brine handling and disposal and solar energy applications for desalination respectively, as technical representatives from Sandia on the Executive Committee.
New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute - Karl Wood, Director
Karl presented an overview of the WRRI and its affiliation with the national water research institutes and the Powell Consortium. Bobby Creel, Assoc. Dir., then gave a brief summary of WRRI's research activities and past desal research. They offered their facility for use by the Executive Committee and offered to support the group in getting the feasibility study information out to the public through their web site. This is a very important since at the present time the USBR web site is still down.
Facility Study Goals and Objectives and Roles and Resonsibilities- Mike Hightower
Mike presented an overview of the expected roles and responsibilities of the Executive Committee, the expected facility study schedule, and a preliminary concept of the Tularosa Basin Desalination Research Center as developed by Sandia and the USBR/Denver. A Concept Paper was provided to the EC that outlined general design considerations. The suggested goals, roles, and schedule were accepted by the Executive Committee and include:
Facility Study Goals
Facility Study Roles
Executive Committee Roles and Responsibilities
The EC agreed to meet monthly to keep the process moving forward. The meetings will be held through conference calls if appropriate and at the WRRI for all design reviews since it is a neutral facility and they can host public interactions, etc.
Introduction of Study Consulting Engineer - Mike Hightower
With a consensus on these activities, Mike introduced Eddie Livingston was selected to provide engineering support for the facility study. Eddie has been working with the City of Alamogordo on the development of a desal facility and has extensive knowledge about the water resources of the Tularosa Basin and desal research. He also has one of the best known desal experts in the U.S. under contract to support his desal engineering work. Eddie gave a brief presentation on the hydrology of the Tularosa Basin and his desal work. There is extensive knowledge of the basin and the saline water resources.
Tour of Desal Pilot Plant
Eddie then took the EC on a tour of the Tularosa Basin with stops overlooking the basin, at White Sands National monument to look at the basin geology, and then to a pilot desal facility that he had constructed and is using for pilot testing for the City of Alamogordo. The facility is treating water of approximately 2,000-3,000 ppm TDS in a proposed well field area about 20 miles north of Alamogordo.
Next Steps
There was general consensus from the meeting participants about the roles and responsibilities of the EC as well as the schedule etc. Mike Hightower will be the point-of-contact to coordinate meetings and conference calls.
The next meeting will be a conference call scheduled for the first of March. Sandia is working with the USBR to accelerate the movement of funds from the USBR to Sandia to support the consultant efforts and feasibility study activities.