California Construction News staff writer
Funding has been awarded to projects in Mendocino, Fresno and Los Angeles counties for desalination projects to remove salts and minerals from brackish water and seawater.
The state is working to expand brackish groundwater desalination production by 28,000 acre-feet per year by 2030 to help diversify local water supplies.
Projects in Mendocino, Fresno, and Los Angeles counties will receive $5 million from the Proposition 1- funded Water Desalination Grant Program:
Water Replenishment District of Southern California construction project:
- A project in the City of Torrance will construct a conveyance pipeline to connect an existing well to the existing Goldsworthy Desalter system and install a self-cleaning auto-strainer.
- The project will reduce the community’s reliance on imported water, provide a sustainable local potable water supply, and increase desalinated water production by 1,120-acre feet per year or approximately enough water for 2,200 households
Westlands Water District design pilot project:
- In Fresno County, the project will desalinate brackish groundwater from the westside upper aquifer and use salt-tolerant plants to remove salts from the brine.
- The project will provide cost-effective, reliable and high-quality water to the district and the communities of Coalinga, Huron, and Avenal.
City of Fort Bragg design pilot project:
- Near the City of Fort Bragg, the project will install an innovative, wave-powered seawater desalination iceberg buoy to provide potable water to residents.
- The project will diversify the city’s water supply portfolio, create a locally controlled, sustainable, and carbon-free potable water supply, produce water without grid electricity, and strengthen water resiliency during future droughts.
DWR has awarded over $82 million in Proposition 1 desalination grants to 20 projects. Three are under construction in Antioch, Camarillo, and Santa Monica. Additionally, three previously funded projects have completed construction and are now in operation in Torrance, Santa Barbara, and the City of Avalon on Catalina Island. Together, the completed projects produce 8,787 acre-feet of potable water per year serving approximately 18,000 households.
DWR is also collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) on six projects that will pilot breakthrough technologies to reduce energy demand and costs for desalination projects. More information can be found here.
