The Salty Water Solution

Amy Standen Post on Aug 16, 2007 by
Topics: Chemistry, Engineering, Radio

Water is an ever-more precious resource in California. A dwindling snow pack and ecological challenges in the Delta have many cities looking to the ocean for answers. Desalination used to be something found only in oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia. Now, proposals for 18 desalination plants are being studied by local officials from San Diego to Marin County. The largest would be in the Bay Area.

You may listen to the "The Salty Water Solution" Radio report online, as well as find additional links and resources.

Amy Standen is a Reporter for QUEST and Radio News at KQED-FM.

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  • http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2007/08/16/the-salty-water-solution/#respond Laura

    My common sense is telling me that this is a crazy idea! Isn't it enough that the oceans have been 70% overfished so it is a reason to rape this resource even further? The worst thing about these plants is that we will use them! And most likely the short sighted Capitalists/Politians will line their pockets for their short lives. If this is not true – I sure would like to be comforted on this issue.

  • Amy Standen

    Hi Laura. You might want to check out some of the work the Pacific Institute has done on the issue. They're not completely opposed to desalination, but they raise similar concerns. They've also done some interesting calculations about how California might meet its water needs through conservation and re-allocation. Thanks for writing!

  • Bob Mosher

    I sincerely hope that desalination is at least a partial answer to the water shortages that our world faces!
    It seems to me that pipelines could be constructed, along the lines of the pipeline that brings Hetch Hetchy water from the Sierra to the Bay Area, and that would be a possible (partial) solution?
    Now my question. What will become of all the salt that builds up as a result of the desalination process? I'm envisioning huge mountains of salt that will need to be disposed of. It can't be dumped into the ocean in a deetermined location and dispersal would be expensive and difficult! What will we do?

  • Amy Standen

    hi Bob — Indeed, the salty brine byproduct is one of the main environmental concerns around desalination. It's one of the reasons that desal plants are often co-located with other kinds of industry.

    For example if the Bay Area plant is built on Ocean Beach, it will take advantage of an existing wastewater treatment plant at the site. That plant already pipes its treated wastewater — which is fresh — offshore, directly into the ocean. The desal plant would mix its brine in with that fresh water, creating a salty, more ocean-like mix. And there are similar schemes for other sites, taking advantage of, for example, water-cooled power plants.