Desalination

Do we really need to drink the ocean because our freshwater supplies are running low? The corporations selling ocean desalination certainly want you to think that taking salt out of seawater is our best and only remaining water option. Yet research at Food & Water Watch exposes ocean desalination as an expensive and dangerous technology that policymakers consider at the risk of our public water supply.

We found:

• Ocean desalination costs more than any other option;
• Ocean desalination uses more energy than any other option–which means bigger contributions to global warming;
• Desalination technology can kill marine life;
• Desalination creates water pollution;
• Desalination can fail to remove harmful chemicals from your drinking water;
• Desalination projects invite corporate abuse of your public water systems;
• Desalination is not necessary – we have other alternatives.

Conservation programs are cheaper and without the risks of desalination. They are not as profitable for private companies but they better serve the public.

Federal and state governments should not be subsidizing these projects with taxpayer dollars. If we manage our freshwater wisely, we don’t need desalination technology.

What can you do about desalination?

Urge your local, state and federal policymakers to stop discussing desalination and focus their efforts on cost-effective solutions such as water conservation programs instead.

To learn more about the dangers of ocean desalination and how policymakers can better provide safe, affordable water, check out the full report.

Read the fact sheet.