The Desalination Story

The San Jose Mercury News has one of the better stories I've read on desalination as an alternative water source. Starting out with a look at the desal plant Santa Barbara built, then shut down years ago, they go on to look at what's involved in considering whether to use desalination to provide water.

They point out desal is not a panacea and shouldn't be considered absent extraordinary circumstances. The Santa Barbara plant was built during a drought, then shut down when heavy rains returned. Do you want to spend all that money on a desal plant only to not need it a year or two later?

But, as the article points out, some communities on the southern coast don't feel they have any choice but to use desal. They don't have any other reliable source of water right now.