WaterWired

NRC Report - Desalination: A National Perspective

The National Research Council's Committee on Advancing Desalination Technology has just released its report, Desalination: A National Perspective.

You can read it free online, pay to download individual chapters or the whole report, or buy a hard copy.

Here is the NRC press release and an executive summary:

Download 12184_EXS.pdf

From the WWW site:

There has been an exponential increase in desalination capacity both globally and nationally since 1960, fueled in part by growing concern for local water scarcity and made possible to a great extent by a major federal investment for desalination research and development. Traditional sources of supply are increasingly expensive, unavailable, or controversial, but desalination technology offers the potential to substantially reduce water scarcity by converting the almost inexhaustible supply of seawater and the apparently vast quantities of brackish groundwater into new sources of freshwater.

Desalination assesses the state of the art in relevant desalination technologies, and factors such as cost and implementation challenges. It also describes reasonable long-term goals for advancing desalination technology, posits recommendations for action and research, estimates the funding necessary to support the proposed research agenda, and identifies appropriate roles for governmental and nongovernmental entities.

The press release notes some potential environmental consequences:

Substantial uncertainties remain about the environmental impacts of desalination, the report says.  Limited studies suggest that desalination may be less environmentally harmful than many other ways to supplement water -- such as diverting freshwater from sensitive ecosystems -- but definitive conclusions cannot be made without further research.    

Researchers should investigate the extent to which fish and other creatures get trapped in saltwater intake systems in various settings, and seek ways to mitigate this and other impacts.  Studies also should examine the long-term ecological effects of disposing of the salt concentrate that remains after desalination in rivers or the sea, a common practice.  In addition, environmental evaluations of new desalination plants should be conducted, including ecological monitoring before and after the plant starts operating.  The results should be synthesized with existing data in a national assessment that can guide future decision making, the report says. 

Desalination also has raised concerns about greenhouse gases because it uses large amounts of energy.  Seawater reverse osmosis uses about 10 times more energy than traditional treatment of surface water, for example, and in most cases uses more energy than other ways of augmenting water supplies.  Researchers should investigate ways to integrate alternative energy sources -- such as the sun, wind, or tides -- in order to lower emissions from desalination, the report says. 

One of the issues of concern is the unknown human health effects of boron, which often exceeds  WHO health guidelines after single-pass reverse osmosis desalination. EPA has not established a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for boron because it doesn't occur in signifcant concentrations in surface and ground waters.

I remember hearing Rhodes Trussell speak of the boron issue at an NRC symposium four years ago. He was confident the boron problem would be overcome, but urged caution.

High levels of boron are often associated with thermal waters. The health effects are generally not known very welll. A Swiss colleague of mine, who works a lot in the geothermal systems of the Mediterranean, told me that there is anecdotal evidence that high levels of boron in drinking water can cause spontaneous abortions/miscarriages.

I am also concerned about the disposal of waste. See my earlier post on desalting ground water in the Albuquerque area.

Desalination is a promising technology to augment fresh water supplies, but much work needs to be done. And we must always be cognizant of the Law of Unintended Consequences.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."  -- John Muir

'Water Mafias' in Action: You Gotta Problem Widdat?

Tony Soprano in the water business? I don't think so; waste management was more his shtick. But where there is money to be made, who knows? 

There are organizations around the world that extort money by providing water and sanitation services to the poor and others. This article in the National Geographic News reports on a study presented at the recently-concluded World Water Week in Stockholm.

And they don't just prey on the poor in developing countries. Try Italy (surprise!) and San Diego (why not?).

Here are the first few paragraphs from Tasha Eichenseher's story:

If bribery, organized crime, embezzlement, and other illegal activities continue, consumers and taxpayers will pay the equivalent of U.S. $20 billion dollars over the next decade, says the report, released this week at the World Water Week conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

The water sector is one of most corrupt after health and education, added Håkan Tropp, chair of the Water Integrity Network (WIN) an advocacy group and report co-author.

That's because the poor often don't have a voice in strategic water policy decisions, said Christian Poortman, head of the anticorruption group Transparency International (TI) which collaborated with WIN on the study.

A very enlightening story. Thanks to Leslie Kryder for alerting me to it.

"A lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns." -- Mario Puzo

Remember New Orleans Today

Hurricane Katrina made its Louisiana landfall three years ago today.

Let's remember our brothers and sisters who perished and have suffered because of that event. We must also hope that we learn from it.  

Our New Orleans friends deserve a special prayer from us.

And may Gustav's impact be slight.

"Operational definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result each time."

AWRA 2008 Annual Water Resources Conference Program Now Available

Another excellent conference to promote! The American Water Resources Association will meet in New Orleans, 17-20 November 2008. The meeting information and preliminary program are now available online.

Here are the oral sessions, plenary session, and poster sessions in detail.

You can download the program and sessions at a glance:

Download AWRA_2008_Program_at_a_glance.pdf

Download AWRA_2008_Sessions_by_track.pdf

The AWRA's Florida Section has organized the conference. David R. Watt is the General Chair and Patrick Victor is the Technical Program Chair.

So why is the conference being held in New Orleans instead of some Florida city? Leave it to the good folks in the Florida Section. They specifically decided to "send a message" that AWRA supports New Orleans in its recovery from Hurricane Katrina and this is a concrete way to show that support for the citizens of that wonderful city. The AWRA staff and leadership also endorsed the decision so they deserve some credit as well.

It's people like David, Patrick, and their fellow Floridians that make AWRA such a special organization and is one reason why I am proud to be associated with them and serve on the Board of Directors.

Here's the blurb from the home page:

This year our conference is located at the beautiful Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, located on historic Canal Street just steps from the French Quarter and within walking distance to beignets and café au lait, Royal Street, the French Market, Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, the Aquarium of the Americas, an IMAX Theater, Riverwalk Marketplace, and all the world-famous restaurants and live music clubs of the Vieux Carré. While some of the surrounding areas are still working hard on the Katrina recovery effort, downtown New Orleans and the famous French Quarter are alive and well, setting record attendance numbers at many events.

But more than the excitement of the city draws AWRA to New Orleans. The Mississippi River delta, the Louisiana coastline and the entire southeast are at the center of some of the most serious water resources problems currently being experienced by the United States. New Orleans is the perfect location to focus our attention on current water resources issues at the local, regional, national, and international levels. This year’s conference promises to live up to the excellent benchmark set by previous conferences with a little lagniappe thrown in for good measure! Our technical sessions promise to be informative and thought provoking. They’ll cover topics as diverse as our multi-disciplinary members. You will find our keynote speakers are second to none when it comes to federal, state and local perspectives on New Orleans and coastal Louisiana water resources issues. In addition to some excellent optional technical field trips, including a tour of some of the areas ravaged by hurricane Katrina, we are offering some opportunities for everyone to participate in the rebirth of this unique city. We will again be hosting the popular awards luncheon, student career night, and a Tuesday evening Fais Do-do that you will not want to miss!

Register early for the best rates. If you aren’t yet an AWRA member, take advantage of the one-click join & register option to save a little on your registration fee and receive great AWRA member benefits through the end of the year.

Join us in New Orleans! Laissez les bon temps roulée!

Let me put in a pitch for a panel discussion I am moderating: Waterblogged: Water in the Blogosphere. Here is the description:

The number of water blogs continues to increase. Some focus on information, some provide analysis and commentary, and some are evolving into social bookmarking sites. What motivates individuals and organizations to become bloggers? What roles do bloggers play in the water sphere? Can water blogs “make a difference”? What are the ethical issues? What is the future of water blogs? Will they evolve into more sophisticated media? These are some of the questions we will address with some of the profession’s  best-known water bloggers:

Robert Osborne, Watercrunch

Jared Simpson, Waterblogged.info

Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages

Noah Hall, Great Lakes Law

Kaveh Madani, WaterSISWEB

Jane Rowan, AWRA Blog, President, AWRA

Michael E. Campana, WaterWired

 

This will be a fun session - 10:30 - noon on 17 November (Monday). It'll be great to meet these folks in person (except for Jane and Abby) for the first time. I thank them for agreeing to participate.

This'll be a great meeting! See you there.

And remember - Hurricane Katrina made its Louisiana landfall three years ago today.

"It's important to address young people in the reopening of New Orleans. In rebuilding, let's revisit the potential of American democracy and American glory." -- Wynton Marsalis

Montreal Economique Thinque Tanque: Let's Sell Quebec's Water

Just a few days I posted an item about a Canadian government report speculating about potential fresh water shortages in Canada.

So now comes an article (thanks to R. Teeter) by business writer Lisa Wright from the 28 August Toronto Star, based on a report from the Montreal Economic Institute, Freshwater exports for the development of Quebec's blue gold by Marcel Boyer. In this case, the seller would be a public, not private, entity - the Province of Quebec.

Reading the comments to the newspaper's story is worthwhile.

Here are copies of the press release, and the entire report.

The report claims that Canada has far more annual renewable fresh water reserves per capita than the USA: 100,000 cubic meters (26.4 MG) versus fewer than 10,000 cubic meters (2.6 MG). In Quebec, the figure is even higher: 130,000 cubic meters (34.3 MG). Canada has 9% of the world's renewable fresh water reserves, and Quebec has 3%.

The report further asserts that Quebec uses only 0.5% of its annual renewable fresh water, versus 19% in the USA. If Quebec sold just 10% of its annual renewable fresh water at the current price for desalted water (about 65 cents per cubic meter) and the Quebec government took 10% in royalties, that would amount to about $6.5B profit each year for the provincial government.

As you might guess, this idea doesn't go over real well with the Council of Canadians.

From the article:

But the Council of Canadians is adamantly opposed to the practice of selling the nation's water, and says it's actually not as plentiful as people think.

"We're concerned about that. We know there's pressure from the U.S. to export Canada's water. But we see water as a human right and a public resource," said Meera Karunananthan, the Council's national water campaigner.

"We don't want to see water commodified and commercialized in this manner," she said, noting it's a myth that Canada has abundant supplies of water.

"They see it as an economic opportunity, and clearly the motivation here is profit," added Karunananthan.

The last comment is interesting, because Quebec's "water profits" would presumably go to support the public good, unless I've missed something and provincial governments have become profit-making enterprises.

Regardless of how you feel about this topic, Boyer's report contains some useful information. Among other things, it discusses:

• Technologies and options for shipping water

• Main conditions for exporting water

• History of Canadian export projects (NAWAPA, NARA-GRAND Canal)

• Canada's obligations under NAFTA

• Water transfer agreements: Israel-Turkey, Lesotho-South Africa, France-Spain, intra-national

Noah Hall's Great Lakes Law blog also has a good analysis of this issue.

Nothing like the keeping the pot stirred in the Great White North.

"The great themes of Canadian history are as follows: keeping the Americans out, keeping the French in, and trying to get the Natives to somehow disappear." -- Will Ferguson