Is Ocean Desalination a Sustainable Solution for Meeting Potable Water Needs in the US & the World?

Short answer: YES

If you want to know why ocean desalination is a sustainable way to meet potable water needs around the world, let’s break this question down into its basic components:

1. What is ocean desalination?

2. What constitutes a sustainable solution?

3. Why are we concerned with potable water needs?

4. Where in the world does this apply?

We’ll answer each of these first and then we will aggregate everything together at the end to determine our answer.

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Taxonomy

• Drinking Water Treatment
• Treatment Plants
• Reverse Osmosis
• Water Treatment Solutions
• Water Resources
• Desalination
• Membrane Technology
• Reverse Osmosis
• Sea Water Filtration
• Membrane Filtration
• Sea Water Desalinisation
• Sustainable Desalination
• Water Supply Design
• Drinking Water Managment
• Drinking Water
• water packaged plants
• Modular Plant
• Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
• water treatment

3 Comments

1. No, absolutely not. Desalination is the equivalent of fracking -- it does nothing to change wasteful behavior or eliminate downstream (no pun intended) harmful impacts. The definition of "sustainable" is harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.  Desal will permanently damage the already-fragile marine ecosystems, and does nothing to prevent eventual depletion of potable supplies.

   1 Comment reply

   1. Irma, thank you for your comments. However, desalination provides a means of fresh water where there is limited or no resources available. It is used alongside sustainable water reuse efforts. There are many mitigating measures that are implemented for discharge systems to drastically reduce the effects of this discharge on the surrounding ecosystem. 

      I agree, that if there are sufficient potable water resources of sufficient quality available (surface water/groundwater), that seawater desalination should not be used. However, when dealing with water scarcity and the impacts it brings on coastal communities and island nations cannot be ignored. 

2. Yes, only if there is no other option.  Water reuse makes more sense simply because of the lower salt content and therefore lower osmotic pressure.  If wastewater is available, converting it to fresh potable water makes more sense than desalinating seawater.   

    

   1 Comment reply

   1. Yes, I agree with you Alex. Seawater desalination is to be used in combination with other options including water reuse. Of course, if groundwater or surface water is available in sufficient quantities and quality, these resources should be used first. 

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