Heal the Bay's Policy on Desalination

April 2, 2015 — With Governor Brown’s drought restriction announcement yesterday we’re getting many inquiries about Heal the Bay’s position on desalination. Can it do some good? Is it a bad thing inherently? Like most water issues in California, it’s complicated.

We are following the issue through our work in vetting proposed local desalination facilities and weighing in with the State Water Resources Control Board as it develops its final desalination policy, which is expected later this year. We are now analyzing the draft policy and providing recommendations.

As an organization, Heal the Bay is not against desalination per se. We just don’t believe it’s a magic bullet that will solve all our water problems.

If done improperly, the process can cause a great deal of harm to our oceans and the animals that call it home. We believe that water conservation and reuse should be maximized before energy intensive desalination is pursued. If desalination plants are approved, Heal the Bay believes that they must use the best technology available to minimize marine life mortality and keep water quality clean.

Desalination permits should require the best available site and design to accommodate the best available technology in order to:

• minimize the intake and mortality of marine life
• minimize the adverse impacts of brine discharge to the marine environment
• avoid conflict with existing environmental protections, especially recently adopted Marine Protected Areas
• plan effectively for sea-level rise associated with climate change and disaster preparedness

It is critical that the State Board develop statewide standards for desalination that minimize the intake and mortality of all forms of marine life and maintain ecosystem functions. Regardless of industry’s proposed safety measures, we still have many concerns about what sucking millions of gallons of seawater can do to ocean health.

We promise to stay vigilant when desal projects are proposed and keep you informed about new developments.

Check out the multitude of responses to desalination prompted by our recent Facebook post.

We have also compiled a list of Desalination FAQ’s here.