The Search For Drinking Water In California Has Led To The Ocean
▻http://www.npr.org/2014/02/26/281984555/the-search-for-drinking-water-in-california-has-led-to-the-ocean
On the coast in Carlsbad, Calif., construction workers are building what will be the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. When finished in early 2016, it is expected to provide up to 50 million gallons of fresh drinkable water every day.“That’s enough water for 112,000 households here in the region,” says Peter MacLaggan with Poseidon Resources, the developer of this $1 billion plant.
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He says desalination helps, but it’s not a cure-all. It’s expensive, it does take a lot of energy and it can treat only so much water at a time.
His agency gets about 30 percent of its water from Northern California through the State Water Project. “To replace that supply would require a Carlsbad plant every 4 miles between LA and San Diego,” he says.
That would be 25 plants in that stretch. Statewide, 17 desalination plants are in some stage of planning on the California coast.
