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Ateo
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Baja Turns To Desal
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/04/ensenad...
Far from the Colorado River, Baja California’s coastal regions are increasingly looking to alternative sources of supply — and desalination has become
a favored option.
Set to launch operations in 2017, the state’s first utility-scale ocean desalination plant is under construction in Ensenada, where residents have
been subject to water rationing. The $48 million plant, a reverse-osmosis facility, would supply 5.7 million gallons daily to residents of the port
city, part of a sprawling Baja California municipality that includes the San Quintin export-oriented agricultural region and the wine-producing Valle
de Guadalupe.
Mexico’s National Infrastructure Fund has contributed $14 million for the project, while the North American Development Bank is providing a $22
million loan to the South Korean company contracted by the state to build the facility.
photo
The Tijuana aqueduct carries Colorado River from Mexicali to the Pacific Coast. Water planners are seeking to decrease their dependence on the river,
and looking at alternative sources of water supply. — Comision Estatal del Agua de Baja California
The only area of the state that does not benefit from deliveries of Colorado River water, Ensenada has long relied on aquifers both for municipal and
agricultural purposes — and those aquifers have become increasingly depleted.
Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid last month announced plans for a second desalination plant down the coast in San Quintin, similar in
scale and size to the Ensenada plant, a project aimed at increasing the water supply to residents of several farming communities. The region’s growers
have been operating small privately operated desalination plants for years to treat brackish well water; Baja California’s agriculture’s secretariat
counts 52 existing plants in the area.
“By instructions of the governor, we are turning toward the Pacific, through public-private investments,” said German Lizola, director of the Baja
California State Water Commission, known as CEA, an agency that plans the residential water supply across the state.
The San Quintin plant would be the first project developed in Baja California through the state’s new public-private partnership law.
Longer term, the state is working with the private sector to pursue a third seawater desalination plant in Rosarito Beach. Its envisioned capacity is
up to 100 million gallons daily — twice the size of a desalination plant being built in Carlsbad — and plans include the possibility that some of that
water could be sent across the border to U.S. users.
With water supply issues most acute in Ensenada, the state has been looking at other options as well. Lizola said that by the end of the summer, the
city’s residents can expect relief with an additional supply of water — an estimated 6.8 million gallons daily — sent from Tijuana through existing
infrastructure that is being re-purposed to carry the water. The project would for the first time bring Colorado River water to Ensenada.
Another alternative source for Baja California could be treated wastewater.
Leopoldo Mendoza, a professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California in Ensenada, said that about 20 percent of the city’s treated wastewater
is used in agriculture. In Tijuana, where all the city’s wastewater is treated, only 6.5 percent is used, mainly to water greenery, with some used by
local industries, according to the Baja California State Public Service Commission in Tijuana.
“We remain too dependent on the Colorado River,” said Mendoza. “There is a need for greater efforts in water re-use and treatment in all of our
cities.”
For the Guadalupe Valley, one proposal under study involves piping in treated wastewater from Tijuana for agricultural use, while another would bring
in water from the Colorado River, according to the Baja California State Water Commission.
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rts551
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Baja California and Baja Sur are investing heavily in desal plants. But not everyone agrees this is smart. Some are starting to question the
economic and environmental viability of these projects.
http://monitoreconomico.org/noticias/2015/jul/02/vega-irresp...
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woody with a view
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With El Nino coming the drought will be over in the near future. At least until the next one.
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Mexitron
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Whatever happened with the solar desal plant in Puerto San Carlos?
Seems pretty un-green to be using prodigious amounts of petrol to desal water.
[Edited on 7-4-2015 by Mexitron]
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Osprey
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The problem is complicated by large city expansion that falls short of delivery systems. For example Los Cabos has water delivery in place for 88,000
end users and there are 230,000 there. Desal plants can only help if infrastructure for delivery of each plant can become a reality when the plant is
ready to give up pure, clean water.
Same old story maybe: plants make water for commercial ventures while no pipes go looping out in efficient circuits to La Gente.
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durrelllrobert
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Apples and Manzanas
The Ensenada plant is being built by a S. Korean company in 1/5th the time (2 years Vs.10 years) and 1/200th the cost ($48M vs $1B) of the Carlsbad
facility, mostly because it took 6+ years just to get the permits for the Carsbad facility. Of course the Carsbad facility will produce 50 million
gallons of drinking water per day and the Ensenada facility will only produce 11.4% of that (5.7 milloin gal./day). Both facilities use reverse
osmosis technology to desalinate sea water with a 50% efficiency (two gallons in/ 1 gallon saline solution out). In both cases the saline solution is
about twice as salty as sea water but the relatively smalll quantity (about 5.7 million gallons/day for Ensenada) is rapidly dilluted to equalibrium,
despite what the naysayers tell us.
Bob Durrell
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Ateo
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We need a plague to take out 80% of humans. Then all would be well.
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David K
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Death of millions because of water shortage? Think about golf courses and the amount of land and water required for the few folks that like to chase a
little ball around? Grass is so 80's... lol.
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Ateo
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I'm talking death of billions DK. We could all afford to live by the beach then. JK. 
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rts551
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Quote: Originally posted by David K  | | Death of millions because of water shortage? Think about golf courses and the amount of land and water required for the few folks that like to chase a
little ball around? Grass is so 80's... lol. |
Almost all of the courses in Tucson use effluent. Of course in Southern California we may have to start pumping it to houses.
Oh and why do you want freedom for some..but not those that chase the little white ball around.
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Bajahowodd
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| Quote: Originally posted by Osprey | The problem is complicated by large city expansion that falls short of delivery systems. For example Los Cabos has water delivery in place for 88,000
end users and there are 230,000 there. Desal plants can only help if infrastructure for delivery of each plant can become a reality when the plant is
ready to give up pure, clean water.
Same old story maybe: plants make water for commercial ventures while no pipes go looping out in efficient circuits to La Gente.
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At least there is some good news, the Los Cabos area has blossomed with a bunch of upscale mega resorts in the last ten years. But, the BCS government
has required all of these projects to install desal plants on their property before they would approve the project.
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David K
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Amazing how some change or add what is posted to tarnish it. Death is not freedom, as it was suggested the lack of water would result in such. Golf
courses do use gray or recycled or other here... I was talking about Cabo golf courses, in Baja, not Socal or Az Ralph.
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rts551
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David...Oh you said "Think about golf courses and the amount of land and water required for the few folks that like to chase a little ball around?
Grass is so 80's... lol."
I forgot, you are never wrong.
For the topic: Desal plants consume large amounts of electricity and spill toxic brine back into the ocean (sometimes bays and backwaters). BCS is
starting to rethink the requirement for large developments putting them in.
[Edited on 7-5-2015 by rts551]
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vgabndo
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Not that science means anything to some folks, but we have learned by studying the earth that the last time it could sustain its population long term
was when we had about half as many humans as we do now. Ateo is correct, the only real solution is a reduction in population. They have to eat, and
that uses 80% of the fresh water supply. When it comes to a choice between having enough water to survive without great sacrifice or rich people
playing golf we'll give some thought to keeping some of the sand traps in our community gardens! Just to remind us of our earlier excesses. 
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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David K
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More doom and gloom, but save the golf courses? Sure... ??
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rts551
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like I said, in a lot of communities, the golf course is not the water waster.
Swimming pools, maybe. Lawns for sure, but mostly people.
And your answer David? There is no shortage? Where does your water come from?
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David K
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God
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JC43
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| Quote: |
How smart ! I was always thinking the rain is delivering our water by using a recycling method. But o.k.: God! Q.: Does your God has a watering can
which hits exactly your garden??? And your electricity comes from the outlet, right? So you don´t have to care about any problems on that?
And you are always pumping gas for $20 so you don´t care about any price increase.
Smart! |
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rts551
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OH GOD!
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rts551
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http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-201504...
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