Huntington Beach pierWIKIMEDIA, SAMEERKHANIn response to the pressures of climate change, drought, a growing population, and dwindling water supplies, desalinated seawater is poised to become an important source of potable water in California. The state’s first large-scale desalination plant recently started commercial production of 50 million gallons per day of fresh water in the city of Carlsbad, and several additional plants are proposed to be built along the California coast in the coming years.
Because of concerns about the environmental impacts of desalination, a regulatory framework for this industry has rapidly developed. These regulations pertain to a variety of environmental issues (including construction impacts, brine discharge, et cetera). Here I focus on the environmental impacts of seawater intakes. As part of the desalination process, large volumes of saltwater are removed from the ocean and converted to freshwater through reverse osmosis. Of course, ocean water contains planktonic organisms, including the eggs and larvae of commercially important marine species.
Currently there is controversy surrounding a proposed desalination plant at Huntington Beach that would provide 50 million gallons of potable water per day to Orange County. For the Huntington Beach site, state environmental regulations stipulate the use of a specific intake technology ...
