Climate change is driving a global boom in desalination as regions turn to the sea for drinking water.
WATCH LIVE: Erik Cantu expected back in court, defense team files motion for bondBUSY FORECAST: Weekend freeze with rain chances next week for San AntonioBexar County judge’s ‘no-contact’ order sparks claims of retaliation and erratic courtroom behaviorBexar County judge sets Erik Cantu’s bond at $90K for each of two evading arrest with vehicle charges Read full article: Bexar County judge sets Erik Cantu’s bond at $90K for each of two evading arrest with vehicle chargesFormer Runge ISD employee indicted on tampering with evidence, improper relationship with student charges Read full article: Former Runge ISD employee indicted on tampering with evidence, improper relationship with student charges Days after a tense board meeting that led to Judson ISD’s superintendent being placed on leave, a board trustee told KSAT Investigates he requested a special meeting to start an investigation into allegations of abuse of power by another trustee.
Judson ISD trustee calls for investigation into board president days after superintendent placed on leave Read full article: Judson ISD trustee calls for investigation into board president days after superintendent placed on leave The arena is expected to be completed by the summer of 2032, the same year its lease at the Frost Bank Center ends.Downtown arena deal takes significant step; Spurs to fund city’s federal land purchaseJaden Gilliam, OceanWell project engineer, left, and Mark Golay, director of engineering projects, lower a prototype reverse osmosis pod into Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village, Calif., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. Pipes carrying brackish feed water run through the Carlsbad desalination plant in Carlsbad, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Reverse osmosis machinery operates at the Carlsbad desalination plant in Carlsbad, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. A sectioned-off area of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon marks the seawater intake for the Carlsbad desalination plant in Carlsbad, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. A prototype OceanWell reverse osmosis pod sits on the dock at the Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village, Calif., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, where the deep sea desalination technology is being tested. A prototype OceanWell reverse osmosis pod is lowered into Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village, Calif., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, where the deep sea desalination technology is being tested. This photo shows the intake screen of OceanWell's prototype reverse osmosis pod that is designed to allow microscopic organisms such as plankton to safely pass through in Westlake Village, Calif., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. The remains of fire-damaged homes sit in a cleared-out block in the Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. Garibaldi, Californias state fish, which are vulnerable to impingement on desalination intake screens, swim in La Jolla, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. A drone view shows the Carlsbad desalination plant's intake lagoon on the right and the discharge canal on the left, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Carlsbad, Calif. Pipes carrying brine and other substances run through the Carlsbad desalination plant in Carlsbad, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Jaden Gilliam, OceanWell project engineer, left, and Mark Golay, director of engineering projects, lower a prototype reverse osmosis pod into Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village, Calif., Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. – Some four miles off the Southern California coast, a company is betting it can solve one of desalination’s biggest problems by moving the technology deep below the ocean’s surface. OceanWell’s planned Water Farm 1 would use natural ocean pressure to power reverse osmosis — a process that forces seawater through membranes to filter out salt and impurities — and produce up to 60 million gallons of freshwater daily. Desalination is energy intensive, with plants worldwide producing betweenOceanWell claims its deep sea approach — 1,300 feet below the water's surface — would cut energy use by about 40% compared to conventional plants while also tackling the other major environmental problems plaguing traditional desalination: the highly concentrated brine discharged back into the ocean, where it can“The freshwater future of the world is going to come from the ocean,” said OceanWell CEO Robert Bergstrom. “And we’re not going to ask the ocean to pay for it.” It’s an ambitious promise at a time when the world desperately needs alternatives. As climate change intensifies droughts, disrupts rainfall patterns and fuels wildfires, more regions are turning to the sea for drinking water. For many countries, particularly in the arid Middle East, parts of Africa and Pacific island nations, desalination isn’t optional — there simply isn’t enough freshwater to meet demand. More than“With aridity and climate change issues increasing, desalination will become more and more prevalent as a key technology globally,” said Peiying Hong, a professor of environmental science and engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. But scientists warn that as desalination scales, the cumulative damage to coastal ecosystems — many already under pressure from warming waters and pollution — could intensify.Some companies are powering plants with renewable energy, while others are developing more efficient membrane technology to reduce energy consumption. Still others are moving the technology underwater entirely. Norway-based Flocean and Netherlands-based Waterise have tested subsea desalination systems and are working toward commercial deployment. Beyond southern California, OceanWell has signed an agreement to test its system in Nice, France — another region facing intensifying droughts and wildfires — beginning this year. For now, its technology remains in development. A single prototype operates in the Las Virgenes Reservoir where the local water district has partnered with the company in hopes of diversifying its water supply. If successful, the reverse osmosis pods would eventually float above the sea floor in the Santa Monica Bay, anchored with minimal concrete footprint, while an underwater pipeline would transport freshwater to shore. The system would use screens designed to keep out even microscopic plankton and would produce less concentrated brine discharge. Gregory Pierce, director of UCLA’s Water Resources Group, said deep sea desalination appears promising from an environmental and technical standpoint, but the real test will be cost. “It’s almost always much higher than you project” with new technologies, he said. “So that, I think, will be the make or break for the technology.” Las Virgenes Reservoir serves about 70,000 residents in western Los Angeles County. Nearly all the water originates in the northern Sierra Nevada and is pumped some 400 miles over the Tehachapi Mountains — a journey that requires massive amounts of energy. During years of low rainfall and snowpack in the Sierra, the reservoir and communities it serves suffer.About 100 miles down the coast, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant has become a focal point in the state’s debate over desalination’s environmental tradeoffs. The plant came online in 2015 as the largest seawater desalination facility in North America. Capable of producing up to 54 million gallons of drinking water daily, it supplies about 10% of San Diego County’s water — enough for roughly 400,000 households. In Southern California, intensifying droughts and wildfires have exposed the region’s precarious water supply. Agricultural expansion and population growth have depleted local groundwater reserves, leaving cities dependent on imported water. San Diego imports roughlyof its supply from the Colorado River and Northern California — sources that are becoming increasingly strained by climate change. Desalination was pitched as a solution: a local, drought-proof source of drinking water drawn from the Pacific Ocean. But environmental groups have argued the plant’s seawater intake and brine discharge pose risks to marine life, while its high energy demands drive up water bills and worsen climate change. Before the plant came online, environmental organizations filedlegal challenges and regulatory disputes. Most were dismissed but some resulted in changes to the project’s design and permits. “It sucks in a tremendous amount of water, and with that, sea life,” said Patrick McDonough, a senior attorney with San Diego Coastkeeper, which has participated in multiple legal challenges to the project. “We’re not just talking fish, turtles, birds, but larvae and spores — entire ecosystems.”estimated the plant would entrap some 10 pounds of fish daily and required offsetting those impacts by restoring wetlands elsewhere. Seventeen years later, that restoration remains incomplete. Andfound the plant’s brine discharge raises offshore salinity above permitted levels, though it detected no significant biological changes — likely because the site had already been heavily altered by decades of industrial activity from a neighboring power plant.“When we start messing with these very critical and unfortunately sparse coastal lagoons and wetlands, it can have tremendous impacts in the ocean,” McDonough said. Michelle Peters, chief executive officer of Channelside Water Resources, which owns the plant, said the facility uses large organism exclusion devices and one-millimeter screens to minimize marine life uptake, though she acknowledged some smaller species can still pass through. The plant dilutes its brine discharge with additional seawater before releasing it back into the ocean, and years of monitoring have shown no measurable impacts to surrounding marine life, she said. Peters said the Carlsbad plant has significantly cut its energy consumption through efficiency improvements and operates under a plan aimed at making the facility carbon net-neutral. Many experts say water recycling and conservation should come first, noting wastewater purification typically uses far less energy than seawater desalination and can substantially reduce impacts on marine life. Las Virgenes is pursuing a wastewater reuse project alongside its desalination partnership. “What we are looking for is a water supply that we can count on when Mother Nature does not deliver,” Las Virgenes' Pedersen said. “Developing new sources of local water is really a critical measure to be more drought and climate ready.” The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visitCopyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Federal government sends letters to student loan borrowers about wage garnishmentsImmigrant rams into ICE vehicles in San Antonio, injuring officer, agency saysFormer teacher's aide describes encounter with Robb Elementary School gunmanTexas law schools no longer required to be accredited by American Bar AssociationBexar County judge denies woman’s appeal to lift ‘dangerous dog’ ruling on 5 puppiesWoman escorted out of courtroom following emotional response during Adrian Gonzales trial$10 million in relief activated for small businesses affected by Hill Country floodingOlympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, singer Coco Jones to be featured guests at MLK March and CelebrationFormer Robb Elementary teacher who survived shooting testifies in ex-Uvalde CISD officer’s trialMore construction begins downtown as city, Centro San Antonio work to ease impactVideo shows former Bexar County day care employee accused of injuring child
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