Desalinization is the process of turning seawater into potable drinking water. Areas of the world that don’t have an abundant supply of fresh water use this process effectively for their citizens. The largest desalinization plant in the world is in the United Arab Emirates and produces 300 million cubic feat of water per year!
It takes a lot of energy to run a desalination plant. Some critics contend that the amount of gases emitted into the atmosphere can harm the environment. Of course, that is if petroleum based products are used to run the plant. There are plants in the world that use wind farms to produce some of the required energy necessary to run some of the desalinization plant. One plant is located in Perth, Australia. The extra cost is deemed worth it by it’s citizens to protect the environment.
In order to take in the water necessary, huge intake pipes are required. These intake pipes have been criticized by environmentalists for harming marine and plant life. However, there are ways around the potential harm of the intake pipes. One way is to create large pools of water, and then situate the intake pipes into the pools away from the ocean. Again, the cost goes up but the lessened risk to the environment is deemed to be worth it by many communities.
With the scarcity of fresh water in many areas of the world, desalinization makes an awful lot of sense. Especially when combined with non-polluting renewable energy production, the old saying of “having our cake and eating it too” can be reality!
Desalinization is becoming more and more popular as a way to generate fresh water in areas where fresh water is limited. Whether the water is to be used for drinking or irrigation, it is becoming a necessary reality for our expanding world population. It might be a good alternative for the southwestern states of the United States such as Nevada and California. The Colorado river is becoming overtaxed, and Nevada sends an awful lot of the water from the Colorado to California for irrigation purposes. There is a regulation in California to protect the marine life, and once these hurdles are overcome, desalinization can take a lot of stress off of the Colorado River! This would provide the thirsty area of Las Vegas and it’s surroundings the water that is needed for this expanding desert community, and also allow for Lake Mead to stem it’s output.
