California is in crisis because their water infrastructure did not keep up with populations growth.
Desalinization is an excellent option. It reduces Southern California's dependence on water sources hundreds of miles away. To do it right, they would also need to build a number of power plants. Desalinization is non-polluting, but it takes a lot of electricity. Currently, California also imports a lot of electricity from other states, not to mention natural gas.
The ideal solution would be to extract the oil from reserves under California and just off shore, refine it locally, generate power locally, and use the power to provide water.
I totally agree. I mean, that UCLA flood. 100 families for an entire year? Holy smokes. In the long run, a desalination plant is definitely worth it.
Research the failure of the Tugan desalination plant in Queensland, Australia during the drought of 2002-2007. It cost over $1B and rusted, then the rain came in bucket loads. That was a while back now, so we've had the el nino, la nina, and now the el nino appears to be here again. It goes in cycles: dry, wet, dry.
By the time the plants could be built, the drought will probably be over. Farmers have to accept the risks and not ask the entire population of the state to try to bail them out. Harsh? Sure. But the needs of the population for drinking water come before the needs of farmers to irrigate the desert. Google "right of thirst".
Agriculture uses an enormous amount of water.
In Calif, far more than can be provided by desalinization.
Good farmland drains well, so that salt doesn't build up in the earth.
But that means that more water is needed.
It's just not possible on the scale that Calif farmers use water.
The largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere is under construction in Carlsbad, California.
http://carlsbaddesal.com/
EDIT: Eden's answer is not only lifted verbatim from newspaper reports, it is 5 months old.
Do the math to find out how much it would cost, and how long it would take, to build enough desal to solve the problem. Then answer your own question.
It is all political. If they were reasonable about doling out the water and not listening to the environmentalists, they would have plenty of water. They have reservoirs which would get them through 7-10 years of dry weather. But the politicians and environmentalists get involved then disasters like these happen. When will the stupid Californians ever learn. They re-elected Moonbeam. Their memory is so short they forgot about his Mediterranean Fruit Fly fiasco. He handled it horribly.
linlyons: The agriculture has already been cut off. A lot of them have gone out of business. Water is wasted to protect precious environmental interests. Get with it and learn the facts.
Nevermind the drought, with the restrictions placed on so many things, the reliance on renewables, the escalating costs of electricity and energy, so many people will leave California and move elsewhere, the shortage of water wont be so much of a problem.
Why not invest in desalination plants. You might say well they cost a lot to build and even more to run but with investments in digging up wells instead of those wells being made why not just build a desalination plant that can produce fresh water that can be used for the agricultural aspect of things and for the millions of residents in California in the worst areas hit. Let me know what you guys think. All views welcome.
They are working to convert ocean water to drinking water now.
And yes it is that bad.
California turned down my freshwater solution that gives them millions of gallons of freshwater in 75 days. Mike
