Project Phases

Pilot Plant Testing

The City of Santa Cruz initiated the Pilot Test Program in November 2005 which included the design and construction of a small-scale Reverse Osmosis Desalination Pilot Plant.

The Pilot Test Program operated March 2008-April 2009 and has concluded operations. The pilot plant facility consisted of:

• Source seawater from the existing Long Marine Laboratory seawater intake

• 2,400 square-foot temporary building

• Custom fabricated pilot-scale treatment units treating up to 50 gallons per minute (gpm)

 

The scwd² Seawater Desalination Pilot Plant was operated at UCSC's Long Marine Laboratory in Santa Cruz, CA from March 2008-April 2009.  (Photos above include the pilot plant facility, the raw water intake and strainers (A), the Reverse Osmosis Front Skid (B), and the November 8 Open House Event (C)).

 

The pilot program was required by the California Department of  Public Health (CDPH) to gather information and to provide detailed testing in order to permit a 2.5 million-gallon per day desalination plant, and to establish optimal design and operating parameters for implementation a the proposed desalination facility. Project Level environmental review of a full-scale plant will begin when the pilot project is complete. The Department of Water Resources provided supplemental funding for the study through a Proposition 50 grant.

The goals of the pilot program were to:

• Demonstrate the best desalination technology

• Test any special treatment needs

• Provide water quality data for regulatory approval and permitting

• Include water quality monitoring at two locations:

  • at the pilot plant source water, and

  • at the proposed intake location for the potential future  seawater desalination plant 

 

For More Information on our Pilot Test Program:

Tour Book Guide (.pdf)

Pilot Plant Update Sheets (.pdf)     November 2008         April 2009

Pilot Plant Handout

Informational Meeting on April 22, 2009