General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: California Running out of Water [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Takes a lot of energy. But we have the sun, and solar energy is just getting started in Southern California.
For those in the rest of the country who will say that desalinating water takes too much energy, I say, heating your homes in cold climates takes too much energy and damages our environment. Dealing with our water crisis will not be more costly once the initial research and investment have been paid for than dealing with the annual snow storms (clearing streets, etc.), heating your houses and dealing with floods, hurricanes and tornadoes (which we do not have in California.)
Can we afford desalination? If we can afford bridges across the great rivers in the rainy and snowy parts of our country, we certainly can afford desalination in California. Every area of the country has climate issues to deal with, and that is without thinking about climate change. Think how cold it gets in Alaska and Maine. What is the cost of heating the homes in those states? We will be able to desalinate a lot of water here in California for that kind of money.
It was, by the way, at least 90 today in Los Angeles, sunny and bright. And it is only March.