EXPLAINER: World Cup Host Qatar Relies on Desalination
Arid and surrounded by the salt waters of the Persian Gulf, World Cup host Qatar is among the world’s most …
Arid and surrounded by the salt waters of the Persian Gulf, World Cup host Qatar is among the world’s most …
As California battles a historic drought and a water crisis looms, the state’s coastline protection agency on Thursday unanimously rejected the development …
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As the pressure on California’s water supply grows more intense this summer, another urban area could begin the process of …
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Impacts of desalination plant discharges on the marine environment: A critical review of published studies provides a qualitative review of …
Seawater desalination and serum magnesium concentrations in Israel examines the impact of drinking desalinated water on body magnesium levels in …
Seawater desalination and serum magnesium concentrations in Israel MORE
Leveraging Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture via Desalination: Evidence from a Macro-Data Case Study in Israel examines the effects of desalinated water …
Techno-economic assessment and environmental impacts of desalination technologies provides a review of desalination technologies, including energy requirements, water production costs, …
Techno-economic assessment and environmental impacts of desalination technologies MORE
Desalination, with a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective presents an overview of the benefits and risks of ocean desalination, …
Desalination, with a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective MORE
Each day 100 million gallons of seawater are pushed through semi-permeable membranes to create 50 million gallons of water that …
As Water Scarcity Increases, Desalination Plants Are on the Rise MORE
Slimming down a $17 billion plan to shunt water from Northern California to the arid south has the state considering …
California Touts Desalination, but Take It With a Grain of Salt MORE
The ocean has been eyed as a panacea for California’s perpetual trials with drought. The idea …
California water officials have approved $34.4 million in grants to eight desalination projects across the state…
National Geographic ScienceBlog: The Future of Desalination in California is Still in the Future: California, Israel, and Australia
On September 25, 2014, Pacific Institute Water Program Director Heather Cooley testified before the Assembly Select Committee on Coastal Protection. …
Testimony: Desalination Impacts before the Assembly Select Committee on Coastal Protection MORE
Desalination, like other major industrial processes, has environmental impacts that must be understood and mitigated. A new report from the Pacific Institute examines effects on the marine environment associated with the construction and long-term operation of seawater desalination plants, including withdrawing water from the ocean and discharging the highly concentrated brine.
Desalination and Energy Use…Should We Pass the Salt?
Interest in seawater desalination in California is high, with 17 plants proposed along the California coast and two in Mexico. But removing the salt from seawater is an energy-intensive process that consumes more energy per gallon than most other water supply and treatment options. A new report from the Pacific Institute series Key Issues for Seawater Desalination in California describes the energy requirements and associated greenhouse gas emissions for desalinated water and evaluates the impact of short- and long-term energy price variability on the cost of desalinated water.
By Pacific Institute Staff Traditionally, freshwater has come from rivers, lakes, streams, and groundwater aquifers. As demand increases and climate …
Economics – including both the cost of the water produced and the complex financial arrangements needed to develop a project – are key factors that will determine the ultimate success and extent of desalination in California. New research from the Pacific Institute, Key Issues for Seawater Desalination in California: Cost and Financing, assesses desalination costs, financing, and risks associated with desalination projects. The Pacific Institute analysis finds that the cost to produce water from a desalination plant is high but subject to significant variability, with recent estimates for plants proposed in the state ranging from $1,900 to more than $3,000 per acre-foot.“Seawater desalination remains among the most expensive water-supply options available, although the public and decision-makers must exercise caution when comparing costs among different projects,” said Heather Cooley, co-director of the Pacific Institute Water Program and lead author of the report. “In some cases, costs are reported in ways that are not directly comparable. For example, some report the cost of the desalination plant alone, while others include the cost for additional infrastructure needed to integrate the desalination plant into the rest of the water system. Some estimates include costs to finance the project, while others don’t. Even when there is an apples-to-apples comparison, there are a number of site- and project-specific factors that make cost comparisons difficult, such as energy, land, and labor costs and the availability of visible and hidden subsidies.”
In 2006, there were an estimated 21 active seawater desalination proposals along the California coast. Since then, only one project, a small plant in Sand City, has been permitted and built. Another – Poseidon’s Carlsbad Seawater Desalination Plant – has secured the necessary federal, state, and local permits, although project financing remains uncertain. Interest in seawater desalination remains high in California and many agencies continue to conduct technical and environmental studies and pilot projects to determine whether to develop full-scale facilities.
Despite some major barriers to desalination, interest has recently mushroomed as technology has improved, demands for water have grown, and prices have declined. Interest in desalination has been especially high in the West, where rapidly growing populations, inadequate regulation of the water supply/land-use nexus, and ecosystem degradation from existing water supply sources have forced a rethinking of water policies and management. Pacific Institute Water Program Co-Director Heather Cooley authored the chapter, “The Energy Implications of Desalination” in the newly released The Water – Energy Nexus in the American West.
In Desalination, With a Grain of Salt – A California Perspective, the Pacific Institute provides a comprehensive overview of the history, benefits, and risks of ocean desalination, and the barriers that hinder more widespread use of this technology, especially in the context of recent proposals for a massive increase in desalination development in California.Long considered the Holy Grail of water supply, desalination offers the potential of an unlimited source of fresh water purified from the vast oceans of salt water that surround us. The public, politicians, and water managers continue to hope that cost-effective and environmentally safe ocean desalination will come to the rescue of water-short regions. While seawater desalination plants are already vital for economic development in many arid and water-short areas of the world, many plants are overly expensive, inaccurately promoted, poorly designed, inappropriately sited, and ultimately useless. To avoid new, expensive errors, policymakers and the public need to take a careful look at the advantages and disadvantages of desalination and develop clear guidance on how to evaluate and judge proposals for new facilities.
From fixing leaking pipes to paying farmers to grow different crops to expanding desalination, it’s possible to protect the vital …
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Join us as we discuss solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. Upcoming Events April 4, 2024 | Water …
Peter Gleick, Amanda Bielawski, and Heather Cooley On November 5, 2021, the U.S. Congress passed President Biden’s major infrastructure bill, HR 3684, the $1.2 …
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Urban communities, farms, businesses, and natural ecosystems depend upon adequate, reliable, and affordable supplies of clean water. As populations and …
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The salt and chemicals in the brine left over from desalination can threaten local marine ecosystems…
California’s Salton Sea fast approaches a tipping point, driven by declining inflows and the continued absence of mitigation or restoration projects. Salton Sea import/export plans, often known as …
Cape Town is parched. Severe drought and high water use have collided in South Africa’s second largest city, and unless …
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While winter rains have refilled California reservoirs and dumped near-record snow on the mountains, communities across the state are wisely …
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