Is desalination the answer to SDs water dilemma?
The California Coastal Commission approved a plan this week that will allow a private company to build the country’s largest water desalination plan in Carlsbad. Yes, Southern California needs water desperately, but is this the best way to get it? From what I’ve read, the process of desalination – converting seawater to drinking water – is extremely inefficient. It takes 100 gallons of ocean water to make 15-50 gallons of tap water. Furthermore, the intake of water will kill millions of fish larvae and plankton a day, as well as several pounds of fish. Then, the output of salty waste, chemicals, and toxic metals will likely pollute local waters and disrupt habitats. A little bit of extra salt might not seem that bad considering the size of the Pacific Ocean, but this plant in Carlsbad is only the first of 20 others like it planned for the California coast. I’d still be okay with desalination if that was our only option, but what about water reclamation? This “toilet-to-tap” method of r
