Desalination
Discussion
One solution to water shortages in some areas of Australia is to install desalination plants to convert salty water to fresh, drinkable water. But this could add to electricity demand and hence greenhouse gas emissions. And what happens to the salt? If it is dumped into the sea, it will upset local marine ecology.
Library
Desalination. Australian Water Association
Desalination. Environment and Water Resources. Australia. 2006
Desalination. Science. ABC - Is desalination just a quick fix? What happens to the excess salt? How much does it cost and could it be run on solar power?
Desalination. Wikipedia
Desalination in Broken Hill. Earthbeat. ABC. 2004.6.12 - Water in Broken Hill is barely fit for drinking because of rising salt levels in the catchment rivers. In desperation, the local water supply company decided to invest in a desalination plant.
Desalination not the Answer: WWF. Age. 2007.6.19 - Desalination, the filtering and evaporation of sea water, is very energy-intensive and involves significant emissions of greenhouse gases that scientists say are a factor in the shrinking supplies of freshwater.
Desalination Research. Earthbeat. ABC. 2004.6.12 - Australia makes very limited use of the process of water desalination. What is the potential for this technology? How can it be made more efficient?
The Economics of Desalination and its Potential Application in Australia. Tennille Winter, David J. Pannell and Laura McCann. Sea News. CRC Salinity.
Energy Efficient Desalination - Not a pipe dream. CSIRO. 2007.5.18
Power firms probe desalination. Rachel Kleinman. Age. 2007.6.27 - Latrobe Valley power companies are investigating desalination as a solution to long-term water shortages that threaten electricity supplies.
Rural Towns Seek Salinity Solution in Desalination. CSIRO. 2005.6
Sydney's Desalination Project. Sydney Water.
2007.7.2