California Turns To Desalination To Beat The Drought

A drought spanning four years has pushed California lawmakers to consider using seawater to fulfill the population’s water needs. The process of removing salt from seawater, called desalination, is a costly one; but lawmakers say it may be the only solution.

Too Costly?

Santa Barbara is mulling over a proposal to spend $40 million to reopen a desalination plant as reserves dip below 30 percent of their capacity. The state is in dire need of water, and officials say using seawater is a last resort. 

Many nations, especially those in the Middle East, use desalination to produce fresh water where there are few natural sources. However, in the US the process has been avoided as the electricity needed to run the plants makes the process vastly more expensive than importing fresh water from other states. Additionally, environmental lobbyists claim that the process is detrimental as it pulls in some types of marine life along with the water.

New Plants To Be Built

Poseidon Water and Israel Chemicals ISCHY are planning to build a desalination plant in Carlsbad in order to provide water for San Diego, while Orange County has already voted to purchase a percentage of its water from another Poseidon plan set to be built nearby.

New Technology Could Make Desalination A Viable Option

The need for clean water has shined a spotlight on desalination technology, which experts say could become cheaper and more environmentally friendly as companies advance. Energy Recovery, Inc. ERII has developed a system that is able to recover some of the lost energy during the desalination process, while Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT boasts a new desalination filter that is able to remove salt at a much lower price that traditional methods.