Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Desalination of brackish groundwater in Arizona


Arizona has an estimated 600,000,000 acre-feet of brackish groundwater at depths of less than 1,200 feet according to a talk given at last week's joint AIPG - AZ Hydrological Society conference in Flagstaff. Edwin McGavock of Errol L. Montgomery & Associates out of Prescott, described the locations and characteristics of some of the largest brackish water resources as well as costs and barriers to developing them.
[right, Yuma Desalination plant. Credit, Southwest Hydrology]

Two challenges are energy costs for desalination and the disposal of the resulting brine. Apparently, Arizona classifies all aquifers as "Drinking Water Aquifers" including those where the salinity of the waters exceeds that of seawater. McGavock concluded that since "brine injection in deep saline aquifers is often the best, or only, feasible method of brine disposal, the ability to utilize Arizona's abundant brackish groundwater resources may depend on a reappraisal of the aquifer classification system in the state."

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous sent the following to another post, I think by mistake, so I'm repeating it here:

    You can lead a horse to water, but can you make a horse drink.
    The world’s freshwater resources are not sufficient to keep up with demand.
    As the world population grows and water tables decline, a solution has to be developed. Right now, that solution is desalination and Water Desalination International, Inc. will unveil a desalination process the Passarell V.E.S. to solve that problem. This process separates potable water from the elements in seawater, using the gravitational influence in an ambient vapor field. The extraction of drinking water leaves a wet crystallized salt eliminating waste brine from being returned to the sea and thus preserving the environment. Crucial environmental enforcement is necessary to preserve the environment. There are Extra benefits obtained from the crystallized salt through the sale to commercial markets, lowering the cost of drinking water. To preserve the environment WDI has developed a multiple pod system a technique of subsurface ( below the seafloor) seawater retrieval. For this environmental practice and the reduction in costs, the Passarell V.E.S. seawater desalination process will reduce the cost of drinking water. WDI has broken the high price of drinking water from the sea, and lowered the cost of desalination by two third the costs of conventional process such as Reverse Osmosis. Soon-to-be operating in Saudi Arabia.

    7:18 AM

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