The Monterey area may get a huge desalination plant. (Marina: elementary school, costs)

[Vision67]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/...n-17584832.php

"With California butting up against 840 miles of ocean, desalination seems an obvious solution to the state’s water woes. However, the cost, energy demands and environmental impacts have made the technology largely unworkable.

Three years of drought may be changing the calculus.

The latest push for desalination is on the Monterey Peninsula, where a plan for a plant, which has faced more than a decade of hurdles, is poised to win approval this week from the California Coastal Commission.

The $300 million-plus proposal calls for pumping seawater from wells beneath Monterey Bay, near the city of Marina, and piping it ashore to the popular tourist region to help relieve a longtime water shortage, made worse by escalating drought and climate change."

[AnythingOutdoors]

Let's hope so, it's badly needed. Could mean less pumping of groundwater, which would help reduce ongoing seawater intrusion issues.

[cachibatches]

The big problem with these things is....what do you do with the salt-brine by-product?

Some studies show that it is safe to pump back into the ocean, but it seems counter-intuitive.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by cachibatches

The big problem with these things is....what do you do with the salt-brine by-product?

Some studies show that it is safe to pump back into the ocean, but it seems counter-intuitive.

It has some localized effects, but it's literally a drop in the ocean. Extracting fresh water and leaving behind salt and other minerals is exactly what happens everyday due to evaporation on a much larger scale. California is currently getting hit with an atmospheric river that conveys more water than the Mississippi River. Where did all this water come from? Evaporation.

BTW: Looks like this desalination plan was approved https://calmatters.org/environment/2...ey-california/

[Always Needmore]

Originally Posted by cachibatches

The big problem with these things is....what do you do with the salt-brine by-product?

Some studies show that it is safe to pump back into the ocean, but it seems counter-intuitive.

If they do nothing to dilute the discharge, sizable dead zones will result. A workable solution would be to create a secondary flow of seawater, and use it to dilute the brine discharge to a safe concentration level. Which of course entails extra pumps and any energy needed to run them.

An ideal solution, (from the de-sal perspective) would be a second use, such as a neighboring power generating station, using the coolant discharge to dilute the brine.

Of course a power station brings with it a host of eco concerns and additional delays that would surely accompany them. but IMO is the right way to proceed.

[Californiaguy2007]

Desalinization Plants are the answers to California's water woes,because even with so much rain/snow we get from our Winter Storms,The State Officials continually say it's not enough to fill up our reservoirs,and it seems like every year were still in a drought.

And if other States want to connect to our Desalinization Plants for extra water for them...They can pay their share of costs as well.

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by cachibatches

The big problem with these things is....what do you do with the salt-brine by-product?

Some studies show that it is safe to pump back into the ocean, but it seems counter-intuitive.

Actually, it is quite intuitive.

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

It has some localized effects, but it's literally a drop in the ocean. Extracting fresh water and leaving behind salt and other minerals is exactly what happens everyday due to evaporation on a much larger scale. California is currently getting hit with an atmospheric river that conveys more water than the Mississippi River. Where did all this water come from? Evaporation.

That's what they teach in elementary school science.

In the real world much more comes from vegetative transpiration. Lots comes from sublimation.

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

BTW: Looks like this desalination plan was approved https://calmatters.org/environment/2...ey-california/

The REAL question is, "why in the world does the California Coastal Commission even get a say in this matter?"

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by Always Needmore

If they do nothing to dilute the discharge, sizable dead zones will result.

A common misconception.

Originally Posted by Always Needmore

An ideal solution, (from the de-sal perspective) would be a second use, such as a neighboring power generating station, using the coolant discharge to dilute the brine.

An even better solution is to pump the brine to large evaporation ponds, harvest the salt, pulverize it, load it into giant cargo planes, and broadcast it into the marine layer of clouds. This is not "cloud seeding." This is to brighten the marine layer, thereby reflecting more solar energy from the sun back into outer space, thereby cooling the planet.

Queue the extreme left-wing environazis who oppose the use of science to cool the planet.