De-Salting plants - How come they are not mentioned with the current greening phase?

[Bobbieo]

The sea will be rising so why not take advantage of all that excess water. I know they are terribly expensive to construct but the benefits far outweigh the initial costs. If Global Warming predictions are accurate we are going to running out of fresh water very soon.

[GregD]

1. massive energy use is the arguement

that I have heard.

[razzleberry]

2. there is plenty of water for people

there is not plenty of water,
for growing strawberries in the desert.

[Bobbieo]

3. Not for long at the rate the drought is going! I live on the desert.

[razzleberry]

4. the farmers are ahead of you in the line

is the problem facing most cities

[XemaSab]

5. The city I live in has a desal plant

that's basically been mothballed since it was built.

It's cheaper and easier to build huge pipelines and aquaducts to take water from remote places and move it to populated places. :shrug:

[Javaman]

6. That largest desalinization plant only provides enough water for

200,000 people. A drop in the bucket if you will.

And it requires an enormous amount of power to run it.

[kestrel91316]

7. Better yet, why no discussion of CONSERVATION???

In my own city of Los Angeles, there is STILL not a word about stopping the madness of lush front lawns in a frickin' DESERT. I happen to think the water would be much better put to use in SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. But we don't have much of that either.

That cliff is getting closer every day and we aren't even slowing down.

[phantom power]

9. Heh. Mental image:

[kestrel91316]

10. That's exactly right.

[Nihil]

12. That struck me too.

I was recently in West Hollywood and, though it is a lovely place
with great people, I was quietly appalled at how much water is
wasted on a daily basis.

Misting systems for hedges on every day.

Green lawns adjacent to dry baked earth (guess which is the natural state).

Many streets with water leaks happily running down to the drain,
morning till night.

Fountains on municipal buildings.

People washing cars several times a week.

Then I get home and read that LA has had record low rainfall last month.

:shrug:

[CabalPowered]

8. Why not do it inline with OTEC?

Ocean thermal energy conversion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion#Desalination

[KurtNYC]

11. I think that desal deals with the effects of climate change but does not

address the cause of the problem.

I cringe everytime they run that Moen shower commercial where the couple races to get in their shower that has like 8 shower heads all blasting water.