Amid historic drought, California approves $140 mln desalination plant

With the American West still in the grip of a 20-year #megadrought, California regulators have unanimously approved a $140 million desalination plant in Orange County — the first approved since stricter regulations were adopted in 2019. The small planet will only produce 5 million gallons daily — enough to serve 40,000 people — but is notable in two respects. We took a look at Reuters’ recent article on desalination efforts in California. The original article can be accessed here.

First, it was approved only five months after a much larger privately-owned plant was rejected, pointing toward a near-term future of smaller, more local water infrastructure — rather than drawing on rapidly-depleting sources such as the Colorado River. “It’s more nimble. The future is going to be all about modular solutions,” Berkeley’s Newsha Ajami told Reuters.

Second, it underscores how climate change is not a one-way street — cities and states have the capacity to adapt to a changing climate… if they choose to. Climate Alpha’s models account for human adaptation as well as climate projections to identify the regions and communities taking the future into their own hands. Reach out to our team to learn more about how we can help identify the places ready for tomorrow.