What's Happening in Carlsbad, CA…

The future of seawater desalination may very well depend on the whether the largest such plant in the country to date proves successful.

The desalination plant in Carlsbad, when it opens later this year, is anticipated to provide 50 million gallons of drinking water to the San Diego area per day. That will only supply around 8 percent of the area’s drinking water, and will increase the cost per household by an estimated $5. It will nevertheless be a significant step forward in ensuring an adequate supply of water in drought conditions.

The billion-dollar project is only the country’s second major desalination plant. The first was in Tampa Bay, Florida and was not considered a success. The Tampa plant, which opened in 2007, was only half the capacity of the soon-to-be-operational Carlsbad plant.

Tampa’s foray into changing saltwater into freshwater was plagued by problems from the start with bankruptcy being declared by a key investor. A replacement investor was unable to secure financing and there were repeated performance test failures.

Those for and against seawater desalination can make their case to the public with the help of brochure and flyer printing services. Supports, naturally see the technology as at least a partially solution to the U.S. drought-induced water shortage. Opponents are concerned about endangered marine life as well as the high cost of desalination plant construction and the cost of the process itself.