One unit of the cavalry we hope will ride to the rescue of the Delta is the technology of water desalinization.
Now, trying to lessen its dependence on Delta Water (and the Colorado River), the San Diego County city of Carlsbad is building the nation’s largest desalinization plant.
Unfortunately, while nobody’s using the word boondoggle, the cost of the desalinated water will be twice the cost of Delta water. And the amount will supply only 1/10th Carlsbad’s needs.
Over the 30-year contract, the cost will be $3 billion to $4 billion, an L.A. Times story says here.
Only time will tell if desal is a good investment. If it cannot pencil out even for California’s more affluent cities, desal won’t be riding to the rescue of the Delta, that’s for sure.
