The world’s largest and cheapest reverse-osmosis desalination plant is up and running in Israel.

MIT Technology Review ^ | February 18, 2015 | David Talbot

[wastedyears]

Would be nice to have one of those in NYC. Then again, it would probably take 12-15 years to build, have a cost overrun of more than $2bil, and then not work right after only about a year.

[Roos_Girl]

Yeah, ok, I came up with the same acre foot cost as you did. Thank you for all the info for comparison.

Certainly there’s going to be a higher price on imported food as resources come more in demand in the US for products that California can’t produce because of lack of water. I wouldn’t know how to begin to quantify that though.

[Reaganite Republican]

They’ve got mothballed plants in CA they weren’t even using last time I checked, i.e. the one at Santa Barbara

Brown’s too busy playing with trains to deal with real issues

[Reaganite Republican]

“Would be nice to have one of those in NYC. Then again, it would probably take 12-15 years to build, have a cost overrun of more than $2bil, and then not work right after only about a year”

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Luccheses would do fine tho

[familyop]

"Desalination isn’t the only thing they’re going to have to take out of west coast water. Think those membranes will be able to filter out all the radionuclides coming out of Fukushima (and currently is devastating the wildlife all along the west coast)?"

What a beautiful paradox, that nuclear energy is required to drive the most efficient and productive plants right along the coast, and tiny plants for select neighborhoods will only exacerbate the overall problem.

[TexasGator]

Per week

[PapaBear3625]

There is a freeper who shows up on these threads and always says that the leftover brine from desal plants is highly toxic — worse than radioactive waste. Putting it in the ocean, or the Dead Sea, or Death Valley would have devastating consequences.

The guy is a loon. The input to the plant is salt water. The output is slightly saltier water, which immediately gets diluted back to its original salt level once it returns to the ocean.

[MeshugeMikey]

Moonbeam is HOPELESSLY infantile.

its a wonder that california hasnt completely dematerialized under his “leadership”

[BfloGuy]

At the quoted price it would cost CA about $3,000 per acre to water their crops.

Perhaps, but it isn't an outrageous price for drinking and washing and would leave more naturally-sourced water for agriculture.

[Roos_Girl]

Yes, my numbers were per week based on 3” of water per week.

[citizen]

Very interesting.
For sure, this sounds better than piping water across the entire country.

[TexasGator]

“Perhaps, but it isn’t an outrageous price for drinking and washing and would leave more naturally-sourced water for agriculture.”

Drinking and washing only account for a few percent. Agriculture uses over 90% of CA’s water. Wouldn’t make a dent.