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California Looks To the Sea For a Drink of Water
HughPickens.com writes Justin Gillis writes in the NYT that as drought strikes California, residents can't help noticing the substantial reservoir of untapped water lapping at their shores — 187 quintillion gallons of it, more or less, shimmering invitingly in the sun. Once dismissed as too expensive and harmful to the environment desalination is getting a second look. A $1 billion desalination plant to supply booming San Diego County is under construction and due to open as early as November, providing a major test of whether California cities will be able to resort to the ocean to solve their water woes. "It was not an easy decision to build this plant," says Mark Weston, chairman of the agency that supplies water to towns in San Diego County. "But it is turning out to be a spectacular choice. What we thought was on the expensive side 10 years ago is now affordable."
Carlsbad's product will sell for around $2,000 per acre-foot (the amount used by two five-person U.S. households per year), which is 80 percent more than the county pays for treated water from outside the area. Water bills already average about $75 a month and the new plant will drive them up by $5 or so to secure a new supply equal to about 7 or 8 percent of the county's water consumption. Critics say the plant will use a huge amount of electricity, increasing the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming, which further strains water supplies. And local environmental groups, which fought the plant, fear a substantial impact on sea life. "There is just a lot more that can be done on both the conservation side and the water-recycling side before you get to [desalination]," says Rick Wilson, coastal management coordinator with the environmental group Surfrider Foundation. "We feel, in a lot of cases, that we haven't really explored all of those options."
Carlsbad's product will sell for around $2,000 per acre-foot (the amount used by two five-person U.S. households per year), which is 80 percent more than the county pays for treated water from outside the area. Water bills already average about $75 a month and the new plant will drive them up by $5 or so to secure a new supply equal to about 7 or 8 percent of the county's water consumption. Critics say the plant will use a huge amount of electricity, increasing the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming, which further strains water supplies. And local environmental groups, which fought the plant, fear a substantial impact on sea life. "There is just a lot more that can be done on both the conservation side and the water-recycling side before you get to [desalination]," says Rick Wilson, coastal management coordinator with the environmental group Surfrider Foundation. "We feel, in a lot of cases, that we haven't really explored all of those options."
Cost per bottle
Wouldn't help much. They bottle about 500 million gallons of water a year. California residents use about 1 trillion gallons a year (about 10% of California's yearly water usage). To put that into perspective: almond farms use about 1.2 trillion gallons a year; alfalfa farms use about 1.5 trillion gallons a year.
The acre-foot may seem an odd unit, but it makes calculations much simpler when you have to work with either catchment or agriculture. It's much like the use of kilowatt-hours in the electrical industry: A unit of convenience.
It'd be more convenient still if they went to hectare-meters, then the engineering and policy sides wouldn't have to convert units every time they spoke.
Citations? Here're mine:
USA uses about 1500 m3/capita/year, which is similar to New Zealand (1200 m3/capita/year) and Canada (1400 m3/capita/year). Compare with California alone, we're at 178 gallons/capita/day which is 245 m3/capita/year. That's lower than most countries.
The acre-foot may seem an odd unit, but it makes calculations much simpler
If you use metric, the calculations are always simple. Large volumes of water are typically measured in cubic meters, and 1000 cubic meters is a hectare-decimetre.
Forget it, you're trying to sustain the unsustainable. This new plant will provide drinking water for about half a million people, which is the population growth of the state in 1 year. By the time it is running it will in effect only be providing water for the new arrivals.
Almonds alone (70% of which are exported out of the country) account for about the same amount of water as all residences in the state.
That's why in other countries they have made farmers switch to more suitable crops that don't need so much water, or do as you suggest and use more efficient watering methods. Almonds are nice and all but is it really a good idea to use so much of your limited water supply on them?
That's why I mean by lifestyle. Not just showing less (FYI we shower just as much in Europe), changing what you eat, what you grow, what industries you allow to use massive amount of water. Ask yourself why almonds continue to be grown, even though it is causing so many problems.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
San Diego has the cleanest power of anywhere in the whole US. They currently get over 25% of their power from renewable sources such as wind and solar and 67% from natural gas. They burn ZERO coal or oil. They are the model for the whole US.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
Desalination on the level being talked about here would produce huge amounts of salt and other minerals. Getting rid of that salt in a way that wouldn't cause catastrophic harm would be no mean feat.
Are you serious? You are aware that sea salt is a thing, right? Even if it's not suitable for human consumption, you can still use it to grit the walk.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
What exactly is your criticism of my post? Your's is so bizarre and confused it's difficult to tell.
I was perfectly able to understand his post. He pointed out that there are commercial uses for salt. On the other hand your post and attitude seems to scream of a lack of thought. I have no idea how anyone can write this line
Desalination on the level being talked about here would produce huge amounts of salt and other minerals
As if it is some sort of problem.
Citations? Here're mine:
USA uses about 1500 m3/capita/year, which is similar to New Zealand (1200 m3/capita/year) and Canada (1400 m3/capita/year). Compare with California alone, we're at 178 gallons/capita/day which is 245 m3/capita/year. That's lower than most countries.
Look, dude...
Your 1st link is total consumption. Agricultural + municipal + industrial.
In your 2nd link, the "178 gallons/day" figure is for municipal use only.
Pro-tip: when you get such massive discrepancies (1 to 6 !) between two similar populations, especially when one includes the other, it's worth checking it up a bit more carefully.