General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: California Running out of Water [View all]Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)The states largest is in El Paso, where the $91 million Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant, completed in 2007, can supply up to 27.5 million gallons of water a day, though it rarely operates at full capacity because of the high energy costs associated with forcing water through a membrane resembling parchment to take out the salts. (Production of desalinated water costs 2.1 times more than fresh groundwater and 70 percent more than surface water, according to El Paso Water Utilities, which said that the plant's rate impact amounted to about 4 cents for every 750 gallons of the utility's overall supply.) Last year, the plant supplied 4 percent of El Pasos water.
http://www.texastribune.org/2012/06/10/texas-water-woes-spark-interest-desalination/