Desalination removes salts from the ocean or brackish water to produce fresh water through distillation or filtration. The Bay Area’s four largest water agencies — the Contra Costa Water District, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District — are jointly exploring a regional desalination project that would provide an additional water source, diversify the area’s water supply, and foster long-term regional sustainability. The Bay Area Regional Desalination project could consist of one or more desalination facilities with an ultimate total capacity of up to 71 million gallons per day. The four partner agencies are focusing on optimizing technologies that minimize power requirements and environmental effects.
Goals and Benefits
- Provide additional sources of water during emergencies such as earthquakes or levee failures.
- Provide a supplemental water supply source during extended droughts.
- Allow other major facilities, such as treatment plants, water pipelines, and pump stations, to be taken out of service for maintenance or repairs.
- Reduce costs and minimize environmental impacts by leveraging existing water infrastructure as a regional partnership.
What’s Been Done to Date
In May 2003, the partner agencies initiated a pre-feasibility study to determine if there were fatal environmental or technical flaws for a regional facility to serve all four partners. The study concluded there are at least three locations in the Bay Area where a regional desalination facility could be located. The agencies then conducted further analysis of these sites to better define project facilities, conveyance options, and institutional issues. The agencies conducted a feasibility study to refine the institutional, technical, environmental and scientific merits of a regional facility. Public presentations and informational materials were provided in Fall 2006 to inform the public on what has been conducted and the next steps.
Current Status
The Feasibility Study is now complete. The partner agencies recently won a grant to run a pilot study, and have selected a consultant to build and test a pilot plant in Contra Costa County.
Next Steps
In the Summer of 2008, the pilot plant will begin testing pretreatment options, membrane performance, and approaches for brine disposal. After this phase, an environmental study will take place in 2009. The design process will begin in 2010 and construction will follow in 2012.
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