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Desal Facts
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Ocean Desalination (Desal) is the process of removing salt from
seawater or salty groundwater through any of several methods in
order to make distilled, drinkable water. Water is desalinated in
order to convert salt water to fresh water so it is suitable for human
consumption or irrigation. The current technology uses a reverse
osmosis technology, whereby membranes and pressure are used
to separate salts from water.
Desalination has become a proposed solution for meeting our
increasing water needs. Proponents of desalination would argue it
creates long-term water supply solutions and reduce the need for
water transfers among the state and regions. But this technology's
downsides far outweigh its potential benefits, and it shouldn't be
used as a silver bullet solution to our water supply shortage
problems.
While at first glance this may seem like a harmless supply of
drinking water, there are many problems that are created from this
process:
There are many alternatives that are being pushed aside in favor of
ocean desalination. Great strides are being made in
comprehensive water conservation proven to work to lower demand,
in water reclamation and reuse, in watershed management and
with the capture, treatment and reuse of stormwater and urban
runoff. California could save a full third of its current water use at a
cost that is 85% lower than using new sources of water!
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Key Desalination Facts published by California Coastal
Commission (PDF)
Desalination Findings & Recommendations published by the Desal
Task Force (PDF)
Seawater Desalination and the California Coastal Act - Report of the
California Coastal Commission, March 2004 (PDF)
Desalination: An Ocean of Problems - Report by Food & Water
Watch (PDF)
Tampa Bay Desal Plant Factsheet published by American Water
Corp. (PDF)
seawater or salty groundwater through any of several methods in
order to make distilled, drinkable water. Water is desalinated in
order to convert salt water to fresh water so it is suitable for human
consumption or irrigation. The current technology uses a reverse
osmosis technology, whereby membranes and pressure are used
to separate salts from water.
Desalination has become a proposed solution for meeting our
increasing water needs. Proponents of desalination would argue it
creates long-term water supply solutions and reduce the need for
water transfers among the state and regions. But this technology's
downsides far outweigh its potential benefits, and it shouldn't be
used as a silver bullet solution to our water supply shortage
problems.
While at first glance this may seem like a harmless supply of
drinking water, there are many problems that are created from this
process:
 | Ocean desalination is a threat to marine environments. | |
| Our oceans are very important to the health of California's social, environmental and economic functions. The water intakes of the plant brings with it billions of fish eggs, fish and other organisms, killing everything as its pulled into the facilities' machines. Furthermore, for every 100 gallons of seawater, 50 to 85 gallons of brine are returned to the ocean, creating dead zones that harm aquatic life and result in losses in recreation and commerce areas and a great loss in marine life. | ||
| Drinking water quality may pose risks to health. The | |
| drinking quality of desalinated water is still yet unknown due to new constituents of emerging concern (CECs) that have yet to be evaluated. The portion of the water that reaches consumers contains unregulated chemicals not present normal drinking , which endanger public health. Such contaminants include chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products and toxins from marine algae. | ||
| Large-scale desal has yet to work in the U.S. The majority | |
| of existing desal plants in the United States desalt brackish river or groundwater, not ocean water, and usually for more small scale industrial purposes. Many larger plants currently built for municipal drinking water purposes do not operate at their stated capacity, if at all. In fact, the first and only ocean water large-scale desalination plant in Tampa Bay, Florida for municipal use was fraught with failures and now produces less water at a cost that is 43% higher than the originally promised price of $110 million. | ||
| Projected costs of desal water is 4 to 8 times higher than | |
| other water sources. Desalination is a very expensive technology, costing approximately $2600 per acre foot. Although the exact price tag varies by region, it is consistently more expensive than conservation and recycling programs, which cost on average $250 or less per acre foot. Moreover, the true price of desal water can be hidden by corporate underestimates and government subsidies. A number of taxpayer subsidies are created for the desal industry at the federal and state level, from funding for research and development to direct cost supports. | ||
| Desal is incredibly energy intensive, adding demand to an | |
| already stressed resource. The most common desal technology used today is reverse osmosis, which uses huge amounts of energy to push seawater through filters, but even with recent innovations, energy is still the single largest contributor to the overall cost - as much as 33 to 55% of the operating costs. Ocean water desalination, in California for example, could consume up to 9 times as much energy as surface water treatment and 14 times as much as groundwater production. | ||
| Desalination fosters corporate control of our public water | |
| supply. The privatization of water delivery service is at odds with the belief that fair access to water for all people is a fundamental human right. The push for ocean desal is led by private corporations that plan to sell desalted ocean water to the public at a premium. This private ownership allows the people who control our vital resource to put their bottom line before the public interest. Privatization can also create water markets whereby water is sold to the highest bidder rather than allocated to the areas where it is most needed, most likely the same citizens who will live near the plants and experience the noise and pollution from the technology. |
There are many alternatives that are being pushed aside in favor of
ocean desalination. Great strides are being made in
comprehensive water conservation proven to work to lower demand,
in water reclamation and reuse, in watershed management and
with the capture, treatment and reuse of stormwater and urban
runoff. California could save a full third of its current water use at a
cost that is 85% lower than using new sources of water!
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Key Desalination Facts published by California Coastal
Commission (PDF)
Desalination Findings & Recommendations published by the Desal
Task Force (PDF)
Seawater Desalination and the California Coastal Act - Report of the
California Coastal Commission, March 2004 (PDF)
Desalination: An Ocean of Problems - Report by Food & Water
Watch (PDF)
Tampa Bay Desal Plant Factsheet published by American Water
Corp. (PDF)
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To learn about the desal projects currently in discussion in California, please visit here. |