Can Desalination Projects Remedy California’s Drought Problem?
by Reenita Malhotra in Economics, Infrastructure
The scarcity of water in California has reached astounding levels. The state is looking to various means and resources to remedy this situation. According to Scripps, about  20 water agencies up and down the California coast are favoring desalination projects as a method to deal with drought.
“People are worried about water supply,” said Michael Carlin, assistant general manager of water at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. “Desalination is for drought supply, for an emergency, and it augments existing supply — it’s another tool in our toolbox.”
Poseidon Resources, a Connecticut based water  infrastructure development company, has recently gained approval from California state regulators to build the Western Hemisphere’s largest desalination plant in Carlsbad (near San Diego). The $300 million Carlsbad Desalination Project will have significant economic benefits for the region, including an estimated $170 million in spending during construction, 2,100 jobs created during construction and $37 million in annual spending throughout the region once the desalination plant is operational.
But desalination is a highly contested issue as many environmentalists regard it as a quick fix that can cause more harm in the long term, than good. The briny byproduct of desalination is typically dumped into the ocean and tends to sink to the bottom as a salty, oxygen deficient plume. This can be detrimental to marine life and fisheries nearby.
Food & Water Watch has put together a list of reasons as to why communities should think twice before diving into desalination projects. Â Read more about this here.
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Posted on May 29, 2009
California, desalination, drought, Food and Water Watch, Pacific Ocean, Poseidon Resources, Scripps
About the Author
Reenita Malhotra
Reenita Malhotra Hora is an Ayurveda clinician and freelance writer. Native to Mumbai, she resides in San Francisco with her husband and two kids where she helps people to achieve their wellness goals. Reenita writes for a variety of sustainability media including Green Options, Green Living Ideas, National Geographic Kids, SustainLane and more. Check out her wisdom at www.reenita.com.4 Responses to “Can Desalination Projects Remedy California’s Drought Problem?”
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Ricardo Williams
Twitter: @RicardoWilliams
May 29, 2009
I feel bad for California, they always got something bad going on lol
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Twitter: @sustainablogger
May 30, 2009
What are the energy requirements for desalination? I seem to remember reading it’s a pretty energy-intensive process, but am not positive…
Reenita Malhotra
Twitter: @reenymal
May 30, 2009
Jeff, according to Food & Water Watch, ocean desalination projects can be 10 times as energy intensive as other supply sources.
According to Meng Lean, manager of microfluidic systems at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), the energy cost of desalination runs at about eight times that of conventional water, with the most efficient plants requiring 15 watts per gallon, per hour. See this link:
http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/12/water-scarcity-woes-point-to-big-opportunities-in-desalination/
Now in North Africa and the Middle East, there is a push to a push to shift to alternative sources of energy, such as solar energy, since solar radiation is abundant in this region all year round. See this link:
http://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v36y2008i5p1748-1756.html
GE Global Research, is also developing affordable water desalination systems powered by renewable energy.
Susan Kraemer
Twitter: @Twitter Name (optional)
Jun 20, 2009
Absolutely Jeff – it’s insane the amount of fossil fuels these things can use – but it can be done with sea wind and solar – the seawater greenhouse
http://dotcommodity.blogspot.com/2008/09/desalination-using-just-sunshine-wind.html