Water Information Center

Desalination: A National Perspective (2008)

Report in Brief

Recent advances in technology have made desalination of seawater and groundwater a realistic option for increasing water supplies in some parts of the United States, and desalination will likely have a niche in the nation's future water management portfolio. However, its potential is constrained by a host of financial, social, and environmental factors. Substantial uncertainties remain about the environmental impacts of desalination, which have led to costly permitting delays. The National Research Council, with the support of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, convened a committee to assess the state-of-the-art in desalination technologies, identify implementation challenges, and provide recommendations for action and research. The report concludes that a coordinated, strategic research effort with steady funding is needed to better understand and minimize desalination's environmental impacts - and to find ways to further lower its costs and energy use.
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