This study identifies a comprehensive set of challenges associated with desalination including
water quality concerns, environmental impacts, energy use, concentrated management,
economics, and social and political considerations. Surveys and case studies with multiple
desalination projects were conducted by screening available literatures, and interviewing local
water authorities, environmental groups and regulatory agencies. The information gathered was
used to develop a decision making framework to aid the water industry in conducting
desalination assessments, and help decision makers to overcome barriers during the
implementation of desalination. Because each desalination technology has its unique technical,
economic, and environmental characteristics, this study was designed to focus on desalination of
seawater using membrane technologies.
Research objectives were achieved by means of three phases: data collection; case study
analysis; and, critical assessment of implementing desalination technologies. Data collection was
achieved through literature review, expert workshop, and utility survey. A comprehensive
review of over three hundred twenty grey and peer-reviewed literature, technical reports,
government documents were examined. An expert workshop was conducted which included
utilities representatives, specialty consultants, and regulatory agencies to further identify growing
concerns associated with desalination planning and operations. In addition, surveys were
conducted with utilities, both nationally and internationally, of varying capacity, geographic,
planning stages of desalination, treating different types of impaired water.
Four case studies were selected, representing coastal desalination and including Southern
California, Florida, Australia, and Israel. The case studies allowed the comparison of the values
of desalination in different social and geographic areas and highlighted the differences in
community needs and conditions. Finally, a structural framework was then developed for a
multi-criteria assessment of implementing desalination. The framework incorporated options for
augmenting water supplies, environmental impacts of desalination, economics of desalination,
technology and water quality, energy, public perception and politics, and permitting, as well as
risk mitigating strategies. Includes 15 references, table.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 630 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
| Published : | 11/01/2008 |
