Are you thirsty? Desalination in southern California

I live in southern California, which is for all practical intents and purposes a desert. Yes, I know that portions of the area may not technically fit the term, but the truth is that the local water supply is vastly exceeded by the number of thirsty people out here. Therefore, we are engaged in water wars with northern California, and Arizona, and everyone else in the area.

However, if you go down to one of our local beaches, you'll see all sorts of water. Salt water.

Desalination plants have been around for a while, and now one is being proposed for Huntington Beach, California.

The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board voted to push forward plans for a plant that will convert about 50 million gallons of ocean water into drinking water every day.

That’s enough to supply at least a quarter of a million people in Orange County with fresh water.

The cost is $350 million, and it's claimed that taxpayers won't have to pay for it. We'll see about that.

And it should be noted that there are environmental concerns which could potentially derail the project.

We'll see what happens.