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Nation’s Scientists: More Study on Desalination’s Effects Needed to Assess Its Potential as a Water Supply Option

Statement of Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch

“Today’s report by the National Research Council confirms what advocates for the environment, public health, and consumers have been saying for years: rushing to provide our nation’s water supply through ocean desalination is truly a risky venture.

“Desalination shouldn’t be used as a quick fix to our water-shortage problems.  Even the NRC report agrees that conservation is a much less expensive alternative.

“Our nation’s scientists set out to assess the potential of seawater and brackish water desalination to help meet the country’s anticipated water supply needs.  The report concludes, however, that such an assessment is impossible given the lack of adequate study over a host of potential environmental, consumer, and public health problems.

“Desalination proponents envision a chain of expensive plants framing our coastlines and providing steady profits for investors.  In this possible future, the costs are paid by water customers and the environment.

“Potential environmental impacts include the destruction of sealife, ecological impacts from disposing of salty brine, and increased global warming pollution from increased energy use, among others.  In the end, the report provides a lengthy list of research needs before desalination is ever to be a viable option. 

“Decision makers at the local, state, and national levels should remember this before they rush into funding or siting ocean desalination plants.  Desalination facilities have the potential to create more problems than they solve.”