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Justin Gillis writes in the NYT that as drought strikes California, residents "can't help but notice the substantial reservoir of untapped water lapping at their shores — 187 quintillion gallons of it, more or less, shimmering invitingly in the sun."
Once dismissed as too expensive and harmful to the environment, desalination is getting a second look. [...] A $1 billion desalination plant to supply booming San Diego County is under construction and due to open as early as November, providing a major test of whether California cities will be able to resort to the ocean to solve their water woes. [...] "It was not an easy decision to build this plant," says Mark Weston, chairman of the agency that supplies water to towns in San Diego County. "But it is turning out to be a spectacular choice. What we thought was on the expensive side 10 years ago is now affordable."
Carlsbad's product will sell for around $2,000 per acre-foot (the amount used by two five-person U.S. households per year), which is 80 percent more than what the county pays for treated water from outside the area. Water bills already average about $75 a month and the new plant will drive them up by $5 or so to secure a new supply equal to about 7 or 8 percent of the county's water consumption.
Critics say the plant will use a huge amount of electricity, increasing the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming, which further strains water supplies. And local environmental groups, which have fought the plant, fear a substantial impact on sea life. "There is just a lot more that can be done on both the conservation side and the water-recycling side before you get to [desalination]," says Rick Wilson, coastal management coordinator with the environmental group Surfrider Foundation. "We feel, in a lot of cases, that we haven't really explored all of those options."
(Score: 2) by Justin Case on Sunday April 12 2015, @09:04PM
For years I've been hearing "peak water" "water is the new oil" and of course the alarmists' favorite: we're all gonna die!
Somehow, people were able to figure out how to refine pure gold from mountains of dirt once the incentive got high enough. I'm sure obtaining pure water will be somewhat easier.
Let supply and demand set the price of water and:
1. Water consumers will be more motivated to conserve and reuse.
2. Water producers will be more motivated to get creative about increasing the supply.
All without the heavy hand of government! It is almost as if some problems will work themselves out, if we simply step back and stop meddling.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Fluffeh on Sunday April 12 2015, @09:42PM
Here in Australia, we've been using desalination plants [wikipedia.org] for quite a while - even the last (linked), the Sydney plant was brought in on time and under budget. Although it is currently used as a top-up service to the main reservoir when there isn't enough rainfall, it is expected to become a always-on system over the next decade or so as the population increases.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2015, @10:47PM
It's one thing to be government owned and operated, but in Ca it will most likely be corporate owned with a lot of taxpayers footing the bill, then cost overruns, everyone wanting to rape the piggy bank, etc. By the time it gets built it'll be an oozing pustule of costs and not worth it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @02:32AM
I say we do a pilot program.
We find a tiny uninhabited desert island and drop you off there alone then sail away.
You get to take as many greenbacks with you as you like.
You will quickly find out what is like for people who have no money.
-- gewg_
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 13 2015, @09:50AM
Most people who have no money are not alone.