About Desalination
Desalination in California
Source: Pacific Institute (June 2006)
In November 2002,
California
voters passed Proposition 50, the Water Security, Clean Drinking
Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002. Chapter 6(a) of
Proposition 50 (Water Code Section 79545(a)), authorized Department
of Water Resources (DWR) to
administer a $50 million desalination grant program. The grant
program aims to assist local public agencies with the development of
new local potable water supplies through the construction of
feasible brackish water and seawater desalination projects and help
advance water desalination technology and its use by means of
feasibility studies, research and development, and pilot and
demonstration projects.
In 2003, the California Water Desalination Task
Force was convened by DWR pursuant to Assembly Bill 2717 to look into potential
opportunities and impediments for using brackish water and seawater
desalination in California, and to examine what role, if any,
the State should play in furthering the use of desalination
technology. One of the primary recommendations was that economically
and environmentally acceptable desalination should be considered as
part of a balanced water portfolio to help meet
California’s existing and future water
supply and environmental needs.
In 2005, DWR decided that the available $25
million under the Desalination grant cycle would be used to fund 25
different projects including: 3 construction projects, 6 pilot and
demonstration projects, 7 research and development projects, and 9
feasibility studies. The Santa Cruz Pilot Plant was one of the 25
projects awarded funding in the 2005 funding cycle. DWR continued
the grant program in 2006, funding 24 different projects including:
4 construction projects, 9 pilot and demonstration projects, 7
research and development, and 4 feasibility studies.
