Water, water everywhere…

“Water, water everywhere...now some of it to drink.” – from "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge...kinda.

Updated 07/27/2026

At a certain age, we're usually told by our doctors to adopt a low-salt diet, or start taking statins for high blood pressure. Well, California's aging water supply and the high pressure to find more reliable sources of water may put the state on its own ”no salt” water program.

Dana Point Harbor – lots of water, lots of salt...

Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in water or even soil. Saltwater (especially sea water) is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption or irrigation. The by-product of the desalination process is brine or highly concentrated salt laden water. The disposal of brine is one of the challenges posed by environmentalists as the brine is often discharged into the marine environment near where the desalination facilities are typically located.

Desalination is used on many seagoing ships and submarines. Most of the modern interest in desalination is focused on cost-effective provision of fresh water for human use. Along with recycled wastewater, it is one of the few rainfall-independent water resources. However, due to its energy consumption, desalinating sea water is generally more costly than fresh water from surface water or groundwater, water recycling and water conservation methods. That is why desalination is very prevalent in arid areas where energy is not a major prohibiting factor, such as in the oil-rich Middle East. Desalination processes are usually driven by either thermal (in the case of distillation) or electrical (in the case of reverse osmosis) as the primary energy types. Both the thermal and reverse osmosis processes entail a great deal of energy, each typically having is roots in energy requirements based on fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly. This too is an argument often posed by environmentalists in making a case against desalination.

Some of the most talked-about and studied desalination facilities are here in Southern

California. The currently operational Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Facility in Carlsbad supplies 50 million gallons of desalinated water to 400,000 people, or about one third of the population in the northern San Diego County area.

The next most talked about and studied was the Huntington Beach Desalination Facility that was scheduled to go online in 2023. This facility had been in the process of planning, permitting and design, which began as early as 2005, and was intended to supply 50 million gallons to approximately 150,000 in the Orange County area. However, voters rejected the completion of this project, most likely because of cost and potential environment concerns and assurance that water from northern California and the Colorado River will always be available.

A third facility, the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project—which is close to Moulton Niguel Water District—is in the initial planning stage and is to be in Dana Point. Technical information on project can be found on the South Coast Water District (SCWD) website. The 60% design is complete and the Design/Build/Operate (DBO) Team is working on the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), which is expected sometime in August. The DBO Team is Acciona, Filanc and Hazen. Agency partners on the project include Laguna Beach County Water District and Eastern Municipal Water District. SCWD is in active discussions with both Santa Margarita Water District and City of San Clemente to have them also participate. SCWD is also working on the project financing plan that includes $40 million in grants, with applications to increase the grant share to $70 million. Not all the agencies plan to use the same financing vehicles. SCWD plans to fund our share (not covered by grants) with SRF and WIFIA Loans. Final decisions on going forward with the project are anticipated by the end of this calendar year. Schedule for construction is just over 3 years, so hopefully operational by 2030.

For an overview of the issues that "muddy the waters" when it comes to desal, check out what the World Economic Forum published about the benefits and challenges the global community faces when looking at desalination for helping to solve the water crisis.

Related websites

Carlsbad desalination plant: www.sdcwa.org

Dana Point (Doheny) desalination plans: www.scwd.org