Desalination & Recycled Water
Jim O'Toole
Tom BarnesIn regions where fresh water is scarce, desalination and recycled water programs are viable options.
Recycled water projects extend a region’s supplies by putting treated wastewater back into circulation for use, requiring substantial new infrastructure.
Desalination facilities, using reverse-osmosis membrane technology to treat seawater or brackish groundwater, can provide new local potable supplies but have high energy requirements to operate. Concerns about greenhouse gas contribution and effects on marine life makes this option environmentally complex and controversial.
We understand the need to communicate complex technical processes such as desalination, or sensitive technical issues such as emerging contaminants, in a way that both the public and decision-makers can understand. We investigate environmental opportunities and constraints, identify feasible alternatives, prepare technical studies and compliance documentation, conduct public meetings and agency consultations, develop permit strategies and mitigation plans, and monitor mitigation compliance.
During the recent multi-year drought, each of the the City of Ventura’s supplies—groundwater, the Ventura River, and Lake Casitas—experienced cutbacks that threatened the need for substantial rationing in the city. It became evident that a new reliable, locally controlled water source was required to meet existing and future demands.
