Recurrent droughts and uncertainties about future water supplies
have led several California communities to look to saltwater for
supplemental supplies through a process known as desalination.
Santa Monica is known for its ocean views, sunny skies, and
strong environmental values. But there’s a challenge on the
horizon that could test the city’s priorities: water. If Santa
Monica follows through on California’s state housing
requirements, which call for tens of thousands of new homes,
the city’s water supply will not be able to keep up. That could
mean building something the city and its neighbors have never
had before: a desalination plant. And powering it might require
making some tough decisions, possibly even considering nuclear
energy, something many local environmentalists have long
opposed. … If solar and wind alone can’t reliably power
a desalination plant, and fossil fuels are off the table for
climate reasons, nuclear might be the only option left. That
means environmentalists, residents, and city leaders may have
to ask themselves a hard question: are we willing to rethink
nuclear energy in order to solve an urgent water and housing
problem? –Written by Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible
Tomorrow
In 1987, the Carmel River Steelhead Association filed a
complaint with the State Water Resources Control Board, arguing
that utility company California American Water was pumping too
much water from the Carmel River to supply users in and around
the Monterey Peninsula, harming steelhead trout. That state
board agreed, and in 1995, issued Order 95-10, directing Cal Am
to find a replacement water supply for river water it was
illegally siphoning away from the habitat. It’s 30 years later,
and Cal Am has complied. Since 2021, it has pumped within its
legal limit (3,376 acre-feet per year) from the Carmel, down
from about 14,000 acre-feet at the time. And yet Order 95-10 is
still in place, with state officials calling for a “permanent
replacement” supply before lifting it. … For years, Cal
Am and leaders in the hospitality industry have argued a
“permanent replacement” will require massive new infrastructure
– specifically, a desalination plant.
A proposed decision from two California Public Utilities
Commission administrative law judges dropped Friday afternoon,
May 9, that could have major implications as to whether Cal
Am—the investor-owned utility that supplies water the Monterey
Peninsula—will be able to move forward with its proposed
desalination project in Marina, which has been a lightning rod
of controversy for more than a decade. … Ultimately, the
decision that will matter is the one that’s adopted by the
CPUC, and the various parties have just over two weeks to now
file comments and point out parts of the proposed decision they
find fault with, but with an important caveat: The judges will
only consider information that’s already in the administrative
record—nothing new can be introduced.
A California regulator on Friday issued a proposed ruling
siding with California American Water Co.’s estimate of water
demand along the Monterey Peninsula by 2050, a ruling that
could have implications for the utility’s desalination project
down the road. The CPUC decision was made by Administrative Law
Judges Robert Haga and Jack Chang. While the ruling didn’t
directly address desalination, Josh Stratton, Cal Am’s external
affairs manager, said Monday that it affirms that the Monterey
Peninsula Water Supply Project, the full title of the desal
project, is needed. He called desal project a “part of a
balanced and resilient supply for California American Water
customers. The proposed decision projects a water supply
deficit … of 2,528 acre-feet per year by 2050.”
An experimental technology now in testing holds the promise of
revolutionizing California’s depleted water supply. California
spends billions to store water, pump water and recycle water.
But even with climate change bearing down, one strategy is a
tougher sell: desalinating water and pulling it from the sea.
Just ask Tim Quinn, Ph.D., who spent four decades as one of the
state’s top water managers. “Every step in traditional
desalination is hugely fraught with controversy,” Quinn said.
There are roughly a dozen desalination plants operating in
California, including the massive Carlsbad plant at San Diego.
But approval of new plants is typically met with fierce
opposition from many environmental groups. Now, Quinn and his
colleagues, at a startup called OceanWell, believe they have a
system that’s much safer for the environment.
Cities across California and the Southwest are significantly
increasing and diversifying their use of recycled wastewater as
traditional water supplies grow tighter.
The 5th edition of our Layperson’s Guide to Water Recycling
covers the latest trends and statistics on water reuse as a
strategic defense against prolonged drought and climate change.
The southern part of California’s Central Coast from San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County, home to about 1.5 million people, is blessed with a pleasing Mediterranean climate and a picturesque terrain. Yet while its unique geography abounds in beauty, the area perpetually struggles with drought.
Indeed, while the rest of California breathed a sigh of relief with the return of wet weather after the severe drought of 2012–2016, places such as Santa Barbara still grappled with dry conditions.
Even as stakeholders in the Colorado River Basin celebrate the recent completion of an unprecedented drought plan intended to stave off a crashing Lake Mead, there is little time to rest. An even larger hurdle lies ahead as they prepare to hammer out the next set of rules that could vastly reshape the river’s future.
Set to expire in 2026, the current guidelines for water deliveries and shortage sharing, launched in 2007 amid a multiyear drought, were designed to prevent disputes that could provoke conflict.
Although Santa Monica may be the most aggressive Southern California water provider to wean itself from imported supplies, it is hardly the only one looking to remake its water portfolio.
In Los Angeles, a city of about 4 million people, efforts are underway to dramatically slash purchases of imported water while boosting the amount from recycling, stormwater capture, groundwater cleanup and conservation. Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 announced a plan to reduce the city’s purchase of imported water from Metropolitan Water District by one-half by 2025 and to provide one-half of the city’s supply from local sources by 2035. (The city considers its Eastern Sierra supplies as imported water.)
This 2-day, 1-night tour offered participants the opportunity to
learn about water issues affecting California’s scenic Central
Coast and efforts to solve some of the challenges of a region
struggling to be sustainable with limited local supplies that
have potential applications statewide.
This issue examines desalination and the role it could play in
the future of water supply. In addition to an explanation of the
basics of the technology, the article looks at costs,
environmental impacts and groundwater application. Pilot
desalination projects are featured, including a much-touted
Carlsbad, Calif., facility that promises to substantially boost
that region’s water supply.
This printed issue of Western Water examines
desalination – an issue that is marked by great optimism and
controversy – and the expected role it might play as an
alternative water supply strategy.
This printed issue of Western Water looks at the energy
requirements associated with water use and the means by which
state and local agencies are working to increase their knowledge
and improve the management of both resources.
This printed issue of Western Water features a
roundtable discussion with Anthony Saracino, a water resources
consultant; Martha Davis, executive manager of policy development
with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and senior policy advisor
to the Delta Stewardship Council; Stuart Leavenworth, editorial
page editor of The Sacramento Bee and Ellen Hanak, co-director of
research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
Salt. In a small amount, it’s a gift from nature. But any doctor
will tell you, if you take in too much salt, you’ll start to have
health problems. The same negative effect is happening to land in
the Central Valley. The problem scientists call “salinity” poses
a growing threat to our food supply, our drinking water quality
and our way of life. The problem of salt buildup and potential –
but costly – solutions are highlighted in this 2008 public
television documentary narrated by comedian Paul Rodriguez.
A 20-minute version of the 2008 public television documentary
Salt of the Earth: Salinity in California’s Central Valley. This
DVD is ideal for showing at community forums and speaking
engagements to help the public understand the complex issues
surrounding the problem of salt build up in the Central Valley
potential – but costly – solutions. Narrated by comedian Paul
Rodriquez.
20-minute DVD that explains the problem with polluted stormwater,
and steps that can be taken to help prevent such pollution and
turn what is often viewed as a “nuisance” into a water resource
through various activities.
Many Californians don’t realize that when they turn on the
faucet, the water that flows out could come from a source close
to home or one hundreds of miles away. Most people take their
water for granted; not thinking about the elaborate systems and
testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state. Where drinking water comes from,
how it’s treated, and what people can do to protect its quality
are highlighted in this 2007 PBS documentary narrated by actress
Wendie Malick.
A 30-minute version of the 2007 PBS documentary Drinking Water:
Quenching the Public Thirst. This DVD is ideal for showing at
community forums and speaking engagements to help the public
understand the complex issues surrounding the elaborate systems
and testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water
Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication
that provides background information on the principles of IRWM,
its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water
management approach.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta always has been at the mercy of
river flows and brackish tides.
Before human intervention, salty ocean water from the San
Francisco Bay flooded the vast Delta marshes during dry summers
when mountain runoff ebbed. Then, during winter, heavy runoff
from the mountains repelled sea water intrusion.
Recurrent droughts and uncertainties about future water supplies
have led several California communities to look to treat salty
water for supplemental supplies through a process known as
desalination.
Desalination removes salt and other dissolved minerals from water
and is one method to reclaim water for other uses. This can occur
with ocean water along the coast and in the interior at spots
that draw from ancient salt water deep under the surface or where
groundwater has been tainted
by too much salt.
It seems not a matter of if but when seawater desalination will
fulfill the promise of providing parts of California with a
reliable, drought-proof source of water. With a continuing
drought and uncertain water deliveries, the state is in the grip
of a full-on water crisis, and there are many people who see
desalination as a way to provide some relief to areas struggling
to maintain an adequate water supply.
“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” – Samuel
Taylor Coleridge
For time immemorial, the seas of the Earth have been seen as an
enticing but unreachable source of fresh water. Separating the
salt from ocean water was always a cost prohibitive process,
primarily reserved to wealthy Middle Eastern nations and
small-scale operations such as ocean-bound vessels and small
islands. Otherwise, through the evolution of modern civilization,
man has depended upon lakes, rivers and groundwater – a supply
that comprises less than 3 percent of the planet’s total water.
