Posted on 09/03/2015 9:12:36 PM PDT by grundle
CARLSBAD, Calif. - North America’s largest seawater desalination plant is ahead of schedule.
Construction on the $1 billion Carlsbad Desalination Plant is completed. Inspectors are now putting the plant through its paces to make sure it works.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Poseidon Water spokeswoman Jessica Jones.
The idea for the plant is almost 20 years old. As of Wednesday, the plant was desalinating 50-million gallons of water a day into clean drinking water. The water will be dumped back into the ocean until the plant passes inspection.
Poseidon Water built the plant and reached an agreement with IDE Americas to operate the plant. IDE built three of the four desalination plants in Israel. Those plants supply the Middle Eastern country with 60 percent of its water.
They’ll be operating the largest plant in North America and the first on the West Coast.
The Carlsbad Desalination Plant is contractually obligated to open November 26.
However, IDE Americas CEO Mark Lambert said Wednesday, “We are perhaps a little bit ahead of schedule….Somewhere in the October time frame we expect to be pushing water up the hill for drinking water.”
Eight powerful pumps will push 54-million gallons of water 10 miles uphill every day. The water will be dumped into a San Diego County Water Authority aqueduct.
It’s enough water for 300,000 people every day.
Lambert said they are already looking at ways to expand the plant’s production an additional five million gallons a day.
“We’re thinking about how to do that, when we would do it, and where it would go,” he said.
At the same time, plans are being drawn for California’s second desalination plant in Huntington Beach.
“I think the next one won’t take 20 years,” said Lambert.
You aren’t going to be able to assert that their water is more expensive than the surrounding Arab countries.
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I didn’t. This is in California, it will probably be more expensive because of regulatory compliance and taxes.
Israel’s water is $0.003 per gallon. My waater, here in central Illinois is slightly more expensive than Israel’s, at $0.0043 per gallon.
Plus I pay an additional sewer usage fee of $0.0043 per gallon. I don’t know if Israel does that or not. California probably charges sewer usage fees also, they aren’t about to let Illinois get ahead of them on fees.
Per capita wise, Illinois is ahead of California (We’re # 1) in public pension liabilities and the rats in the California legislature have vowed to never let something like that happen again.
If you reply back, (not necessary) I’ll probably be gone, getting out of Illinois for 4 whole days. Going to visit some grand kids in Missouri, who we haven’t seen in a long time. 300 mile one way trip, my butts already hurting just thinking about it.
Be safe and God bless you and yours.
I wonder if they could sell the sea salt to offset a grain of the cost? Can they get the crud from Japan out, too? Then the 55 million gallons of fresh water are being dumped back into the ocean. I wonder if the greenies are checking on the salt water fish?
$0.003 per gallon in Israel, see reply # 41
So the reservoir is at an elevation of 50,000 FT plus? LOL. They will have some serious pressure at the tap, for sure!
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Anti Israel San Diegoans, boycott water.
“I wonder if they could sell the sea salt to offset a grain of the cost?”
There is no salt. The effluent from desalinization plants is simply saltier sea water pumped back into the ocean.
I would bet that most people in the world would agree with you.
“I wonder if they could sell the sea salt to offset a grain of the cost?”
There is no salt. The effluent from desalinization plants is simply saltier sea water pumped back into the ocean
I think you mean there is no dry salt to package.
Well, they should take out the salt. Better for you, so my sister’s say.
Water flows downhill, so gravity pressurizes the water supply. That's why municipal water is often kept in those mushroom-shaped towers—as much water as possible is kept as high as possible.
But the article specifically stated “...Eight pumps will push 54-million gallons of water 10 miles uphill every day...”
10 miles seems awful high :)
Just an FYI, 10 miles equals 52,800 ft.
That means water pressure would be 22867 psi
22867.68 psi
LOLz, yep.
They could recoup some of their operating costs if the sea salt by-product was marketed and sold.
It's clear that "10 miles" was meant to describe the distance it had to be pumped, not the altitude. Even Mt. Everest is only 5 miles and change tall.
sisters. oops
Good point. I guess the 10 miles is diagonal, not vertical.
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