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Desalination will transform the Earth, very much for the better, in the next half century. Imagine making deserts bloom, providing clean water for everyone on the planet, replenishing aquifers, eliminating sinkholes and even droughts. And all from the limitless bounty of the sea.
As is so often the case, the chief obstacle is political, and it comes from the left. Desalination, at least for now, is energy intensive. Fusion will solve this someday. Gen 3 and 4 nuclear reactors — possibly the safest, cleanest energy source in human history — could solve it now, as could large-scale expansion of the gas-fired plants which Fracking enables. But the left stands firmly against all of the above, for specious reasons which amount to, ahem, a “war on science.”
Never mind. Practicality is trumping that. And as usual, the leader is Texas.
State to study desalination of Gulf water as viable option in face of drought
by Heather Alexander
Houston Chronicle
May 5, 2014
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. It’s a phrase that means avlot to Texans with the Gulf of Mexico on our doorstep and severe drought conditions persisting across the state.
Sugar Land instituted voluntary water restrictions Wednesday in an attempt to conserve what water there is before the real heat of summer starts.
Statewide, it’s a grim situation that’s got lawmakers looking to the Gulf for the solution, and it’s not for the first time.
“Any option is a must,” state Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) told Kris-6.
Hunter has been appointed to head up a new committee to study water desalination set-up, with the hope of turning the salt water we are almost surrounded by into something we can drink.
Desalination is a process that does not require a water-into-wine type miracle; the technology is there. Using reverse osmosis, water is pushed through a special membrane which can remove many types of minerals and ions, including salt.
But it is expensive and could turn water prices closer to wine prices.
Desalinated sea water would run to $3-$6 per 1,000 gallons, according to the Texas desalination association. In some areas, customers now pay just 25 cents per thousand gallons.
The new committee will look at whether it is worth the state spending what could run to billions of dollars to build plants producing this pricey water.
Some think with current natural water levels declining and around 95 per cent of the state in drought, further desalination is a must.
“We have enjoyed extremely inexpensive water, or close to free water for a very long time,” said Kyle Frazier, executive director at the Texas desalination association. “Those days are going, especially in this state.”
Texas already has more than 40 desalination plants for brackish water, or inland salt water, which Texas also has plenty of. The Kay Bailey desalination plant in El Paso is the largest of its kind in the world.
The state holds 2.7 billion acre-feet of brackish groundwater, which is 150 times the amount of water Texans use each year, according to the state water board.
The committee will likely study how to expand desalination of brackish water as well as looking at the realistic potential of any sea water desalination plant.
“Digging a hole and praying for rain is not going to work,” said Frazier at the desalination association.
Others, though, say that it may still be too early to pump massive amounts of public money into desalinating water. They point to other drought ridden areas like Australia and California where rain did return to save the day, leaving huge investments on desalination plants redundant.
Houston Chronicle reporter Matthew Tresaugue contributed to this report.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
