As I sit hear reading about the current drought state of my state (California), I cannot help but wonder why we have not turned to desalination since the Pacific Ocean borders the entire western side of the state. Will desalination solve our drought crisis. Maybe. It certainly could not hurt. Used in conjuction with existing water supplies, desalination is the fix we need to see us through these dry times.
Desalination is not without side-effect though. All the salt that is removed from the water needs to go somewhere. In most cases where desalination is used to provide potable water to the masses, the salt is returned back to the ocean. This added salt is devastating to the ecosystem where it is dropped. Similar to the effect of melting icebergs effect on fisheries, where the added freshwater upsets the balance. The addition of all that salt would certainly be detrimental if returned to the sea.
So, why hasn’t California implemented desalination throughout the state? What would we do with the byproduct? Personally, I feel that the cost associated with redesigning the plumbing infrastructure would be too costly. Since any project of this scale would need local (and possibly Federal) approval, the lobbyists for the water municipalities would never let something like this get off the ground. In turn, they tell us the end of our water supply is near, we must conserve, and we will raise your rates. While I am all for water conservation, it’s hard to accept that we are almost out of water when there are trillions of gallons visible as I drive down PCH.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Wateruser // Sep 28, 2008 at 12:27 pm
You can lead a horse to water, but can you make a horse drink.
The world’s freshwater resources are not sufficient to keep up with demand.
As the world population grows and water tables decline, a solution has to be developed. Right now, that solution is desalination and Water Desalination International, Inc. will unveil a desalination process the Passarell V.E.S. to solve that problem. This process separates potable water from the elements in seawater, using the gravitational influence in an ambient vapor field. The extraction of drinking water leaves a wet crystallized salt eliminating waste brine from being returned to the sea and thus preserving the environment. Crucial environmental enforcement is necessary to preserve the environment. There are Extra benefits obtained from the crystallized salt through the sale to commercial markets, lowering the cost of drinking water. To preserve the environment WDI has developed a multiple pod system a technique of subsurface ( below the seafloor) seawater retrieval. For this environmental practice and the reduction in costs, the Passarell V.E.S. seawater desalination process will reduce the cost of drinking water. WDI has broken the high price of drinking water from the sea, and lowered the cost of desalination by two third the costs of conventional process such as Reverse Osmosis. Soon-to-be operating in Saudi Arabia.
2 Ziggy // Sep 28, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Thanks for stopping by Wateruser. I was not aware of the subsurface water retrieval method.
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