Do folks here understand the expense and energy use associated with desalination plants?

[haele]

84. Desalination could be used for the coastal areas to reduce export water

I know that it doesn't help inland, but there is a large enough amount of agriculture - and industrial use - along the coast, as well as the majority of the population base that an investment in 3 or 4 strategically placed desalination plants would be economical in the long run.
I would also like to see a grey-water/black-water treatment and recycling plant in place.
More importantly, I would like to see a plan for a infrastructure separation between recycled agricultural/heavy industrial/sewage use water and potable water for drinking, cooking and health use (bathing, washing), which will probably have to be built into new construction or as some sort of add-on. We just don't have enough potable water available that we can have a shared use between actual drinking/cooking/health and agricultural/sewage/heavy industrial. The water my plumber uses to mix thin-set does not have to be drinking quality.

Something everyone forgets...elsewhere in the world where there's a shortage in potable water - including first world countries, like Germany or England, it's very expensive to provide water to a population.

As much as it pains me to say this as a California resident living paycheck to paycheck - If I must be pragmatic, California water is not as expensive as it should be for large volume users - including residential users.
If the state can offset a rise in the cost of water per gallon with subsidies or rebates for repairs or purchasing grey-water processing, leak-detecting and water-saving devices, or implement some sort of low-income/multi-resident/medical needs program as they do for electrical utilities, most residents won't be too badly hurt by a necessary look at how much potable water and water delivery in California.

So a Desalination Plant is a start. Otherwise, we soon run out of affordable water, without any back-up or mitigation started. Putting it off only makes the pain greater when it happens.

Haele