Abstract
Increased interest in utilizing desalination processes in California has been triggered by the current five-year drought and diminished water supplies. The water stress and excessive groundwater pumping in California have created serious concerns to meeting water demands. The purpose of this study is to: 1) Evaluate why desalination has not solved California’s water supply shortage problems given the evolution of technologies and plentiful ocean coast and 2) Examine if desalination would become a more widely used resource in California. Upon review and analysis of various reports from California Department of Water Resources (CDWR), the Pacific Institute, the State Water Resource Control Board (CDWR) and other relevant agencies, addressing water supplies, drought conditions and desalination practices, it is evident that capital and production cost of desalination continues to be the limiting factor to make use of the plentiful ocean waters in California. Reports provided by the Pacific Institute and CDWR, support other alternative water sources such as recycled water, reuse, and conservation efforts, as they are more feasible than desalination. Additionally, unlike previous reports, the data available during this study concluded a correlation between excessive groundwater pumping and areas experiencing subsidence as part of the effects of the drought. This correlation confirms that groundwater is not sustainable long-term. Salinity management potentially poses a different need for desalination, managing impaired waters. From this perspective, water supplies could be vi augmented and salinity management implemented by desalting impaired waters and disposing brine through means acceptable to regulating authorities. Additionally, unlike other reports, the construction of the 50 mgd Carlsbad Desalination Plant, also brought public awareness and survey results to capture public perception of desalination, which had only had been discussed as a general topic for transparency in desalination projects by Cooley et. al. 2006. No evidence setting a precedence for quantify support of desalination facilities with respect to concerns with water supplies had been documented. Desalination of seawater continues to be more expensive (sometimes twice as much) than conventional treatment system and alternate water supplies. The high cost and surpassing regulatory hurdles continue to prove why desalination is still not the solution to California’s water shortages. Coastal communities, however, benefit the most from seawater desalination as they could gain localized control for their water supplies and reduce their dependence from imported waters. It is likely to see an increase in brackish water desalination for inland communities in the near future because its proven to be more economically feasible in the short-term in comparison to seawater desalination. However, it is uncertain how emerging innovated technologies may change desalination practices in the future. For current conditions, the implementation of more economical water resource management strategies is more probable. Nevertheless, the more advances in combining reduction of pre-treatment and efficient membrane technology, energy recovery systems and efficient brine management, the likelihood of seeing California become a desalination leader.