How much will the desalination facility cost?
The exact cost of the facility will not be known until the facility designed. An engineer’s opinion of probable construction costs and associated assumptions estimates the capital cost of a 10-15 mgd plant between $180 million and $234 million (net present value). The unit cost for water supplied from the facility is estimated to be between $5.35 and $6.10 per 1000 gallons (net present value) for treatment, including intake and concentrate discharge. The unit cost includes capital costs as well as operations and maintenance costs, which vary as costs for power and chemicals vary. Future expansion of the plant would result is costs as low as $4.20 per 1000 gallons of treated water.
