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- Structural cost of desalination makes the process too expensive
- Desalination Process is too expensive-Transportation and purifying costs make desalination unattractive
Link—DesalinationDesalination plants are too expensive-plants cost upwards of a billion dollarsFagan 14 (Kevin, Reporter at San Francisco Chronicle Reporter at San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, “Desalination plants a pricey option if drought persists”, February 15, 2014, http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Desalination-plants-a-pricey-option-if-drought-5239096.php#page-2) Machines that filter salt out of water still face the same opposition they have for generations from critics who say they are too expensive to run, kill fish as they suck in briny water, and spew greenhouse gases into the air from the energy they require to run. But in recent years, as technology and techniques for desalination have improved, such plants have gained momentum - enough so that in Carlsbad near San Diego, the biggest desalination facility in the Western Hemisphere is under construction and set to begin operation in two years. The $1 billion plant will tap the biggest water tank around, the Pacific Ocean. It will produce 50 million gallons of potable water daily, supplying more than 110,000 customers throughout San Diego County. Another large plant, with a potential price tag of $400 million, could begin construction in Monterey County by 2018. It would be near the only desalination plant in California that fills the needs of an entire municipality - the one that has been supplying water to Sand City, population 334, since 2010. "It's a miracle how we managed to get this plant," said Sand City Mayor David Pendergrass. "If we didn't have it, the whole area would be in trouble. We're not under any rationing here, but then we've been practicing conservation for years already, so we are responsible about our water use. "I would absolutely recommend desalination for other areas." Bay Area project Two hours north of Sand City, there is cautious enthusiasm for the $150 million Bay Area Regional Desalination Plant - as well as serious reservations. The biggest water agencies in the area, including San Francisco's, have been developing the plant since 2003 and ran a successful small pilot version of it three years ago to make sure the location would work. The plant would sit in windswept Mallard Slough outside Bay Point and draw from delta waters flowing into Suisun Bay. "Certainly, the project is years out from being done, but it could be in the back of people's minds as a 'what if' - and if we got into dire straits, money could be mobilized fast to finish it," said Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. San Francisco has been developing the plant with the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the Contra Costa Water District and the Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves the Livermore region. So far the consortium has spent $2.5 million in mostly state grant money on the plan. Structural cost of desalination makes the process too expensiveWhite Paper 11 (Committee for sustainable solutions for a thirsty planet, “Water Reuse Association”, https://www.watereuse.org/sites/default/files/u8/WateReuse_Desal_Cost_White_Paper.pdf) Feed water intake configuration directly affects capital and operational costs of the treatment process. For example, open intake costs will represent approximately US$ 0.5 – 1.5MM per MGD and up to US$ 3.0MM per MGD for complex tunnel and offshore intake systems. Without consideration for the cost of land associated with each option, beach well intakes are usually less costly on an equipment basis. However, once land acquisition and easements are factored into the process, this intake type is typically 40 to 50% more costly than an open intake of similar capacity. Horizontal and slant wells are comparable to open intake (yet more costly than co-located open intakes using existing infrastructure), and infiltration galleries typically cost more than open intakes. Of all the intake options, only open intakes have the longest-running 8 Dietrich Consulting Group, LLC. 9 AACE International Recommended Practice No. 18R-97. Cost estimate classification system-as applied in engineering, procurement, and construction for the process industries. Seawater Desalination Costs Page 7 installation history and reliability necessary to support the full-scale development of a large desalination facility at a new site. As a result, there is a significant depth of understanding related to the costs associated with constructing open intakes as well as the associated discharge pipeline. The intake and feed water source selection cost impact is demonstrated in Figure 3. In Australia, for example, costs for newly constructed intake/outfall structures can approach a third of the total project cost (based on distance to the facility and related infrastructure costs) and are much more expensive than the proposed 50 MGD Carlsbad, California seawater desalination project, largely due to this project’s access to the adjacent power plant intake and discharge infrastructure. Alternatively, for the proposed 50 – 150 MGD Camp Pendleton project, which is currently in the development phase with the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), cost estimates approach US$ 1.3B to US$ 1.9B (2009 constant dollars) for Phase 1 that incorporates dedicated intake and outfall structures approximately 2-miles offshore, and 13 miles of conveyance pipeline. This is more than two times the construction cost of the Carlsbad facility10. Few SWRO facilities exist employing an intake type differing from the conventional open-intake. This lack of available installations for use as a qualitative benchmark for costing same-site alternatives is important for planners and engineers focused on process considerations and/or cost comparisons. However, published information is limited and can be site-specific. Generalized guidance is contained in Table 1. Source types range from beach wells to open-ocean intakes. Desalination Process is too expensive-Transportation and purifying costs make desalination unattractiveGerbis 10 (Nicholas, an independent science journalist, editor and teacher. He earned his Master of Science degree in geography (climatology) from University of Delaware and a Master of Mass Communication degree (journalism) from the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University. He is currently an adjunct professor at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he teaches courses on science history and science fiction, How Stuff Works, “Why can't we convert salt water into drinking water?”, http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/wilderness/convert-salt-water2.htm) So, what is holding us back from diving in headfirst? Until recently, purifying seawater cost roughly five to 10 times as much as drawing freshwater from more traditional sources [source: USGS]. RO filters have come a long way, however, and desalination today costs only half of what it did 10 to 15 years ago. Consequently, transportation, energy and environmental costs have now replaced technology as the primary impediments to large-scale desalination [source: Maloni, NRC-WSTB]. Energy consumption accounts for as much as one-third of the total cost of desalinated water, making even coastal plants expensive to operate [source: Maloni, NRC-WSTB]. Inland states must also grapple with the sizeable expense of transporting seawater inland. They can opt to use local brackish (salty) water sources, instead, but then they face a different problem: how to dispose of the byproduct, a concentrated salt solution that coastal sites have the luxury of pumping back into the ocean (a practice that remains controversial in environmental circles). Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) plants are one way out, but they drive up the energy costs of what is already an energy-intensive process [source: NRC-WSTB]. Is desalination cost-effective? The answer probably depends on where you live. Given the high costs of freshwater importation and reclamation, desalinating seawater is an increasingly attractive option for water-stressed areas. The potential for desalination is limited mostly by social, political, environmental and economic considerations, which vary from place to place. Any way you look at it, the rising tide of desalination seems likely to remain a growing part of our water portfolio for years to come. Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Coffs harbour eisteddfod vocal syllabus 2014 -> Listen News Programs Schedule pledge now 2014 -> Slow club announce third album complete surrender Download 0.74 Mb. Share with your friends:
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