[1Old Pro]

Critics argue that the costs to rate payers — and the environment — are too high.

What exactly is the "cost" to the environment?

[marron]

Exactly. Especially compared to the environmental cost of bringing it in from hundreds of miles away, and taking it from the farmers?

[BenLurkin]

Partly this, it seems:

“In Huntington Beach, about 107 million gallons of seawater a day would be used to produce about 50 million gallons of drinking water.

“However, this would leave behind about 57 million gallons of brine — highly concentrated saltwater — that would be diffused while being sent back into the ocean.

...

“The facility, in total, would kill marine life in about 100 billion gallons of seawater per year,” a report by the staff of the California Coastal Commission states.”

[Mr. Jeeves]

Huntington Beach is already completely built out, so I can’t see any damage to be done at all. It isn’t like they are putting it in Big Sur.

[Tell It Right]

Only in California does it make sense to divert rainwater to the ocean, then build a plant to desalinize it.

[airborne]

It might keep those pesky sea levels from rising!

😉👍

[TheDon]

Desalination is good for the environment and rate payers by far.

[redangus]

What do you do with the salt you remove?