Tucked behind the northeast corner of King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach, California, there is a $10 million experiment taking place over how best to turn the salt water of the Pacific Ocean into drinkable tap water.
The demo plant here represents the second of two pilot projects – the other one previously in El Segundo began 10 years ago and has since been concluded. The two pilots have cost at least $18 million. A review of board meeting documents by the nonprofit Desal Response Group reveal more than $23 million in construction and consulting services since 2006 related to the development of these two pilot projects.
Out of more than a dozen water agencies in California thinking about building a full-scale ocean desalination facility, none have spent as much time and money on demonstration projects than the West Basin Municipal Water District in Southern California. Continue reading Parched for Water — Controversial Southern California Desalination Pilot Projects
