Desalinization is prime H2O alternative
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Not long ago, the Advocate Editorial Board hosted some river authority officials to talk about water planning in the various regions along the coast and inland. At that time, Bill West, general manager of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, said that a reverse osmosis system, or desalination plant, at the coast would eliminate all of our water problems. We think what West exclaimed is profound and something all of our cities and counties should do to solve the drinking water problem in Texas.
Now come San Antonio Water System officials who call such a desalination plant the Gulf Coast of Texas's future for meeting water needs.
We applaud SAWS for including us in its desalination plans presentation at the Victoria Economic Development Corporation's Victoria Partnership meeting. SAWS' approach, which is to include numerous communities up and down the coast, is excellent.
No plans have been drawn up, but SAWS has begun an earnest pursuit of studies to determine the area for such a plant. A consultant will be hired in June to study the coast to figure out that ideal location.
We realize that it may take as much as 20 years to see this project come to fruition. But the need for water will only become greater over time, and the solution seems to be a desalination plant. And for water planning, 20 years is a drop in the bucket, so to speak.
Joseph Rippole, SAWS' project engineer for water resources, called a desalinization plant a "viable source of water." True, it might be an expensive option, but new sources of water are becoming harder and harder to find, even now. That leaves the Gulf as a prime option.
Again, we encourage SAWS to continue its quest for a desalination plant. This is the first serious study for our area, and the plan makes sense.
We commend SAWS for making all of us aware of its intentions.
And the more information we have about a possible desalination plant, the better.
This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.
Comments
I think this is a great idea and can be achieved with state and local support. San Antonio has been looking for more water in the recent years and I think this is a promising lead. Desalinization plants do require a lot of power, but could easily come in the form of our abundant natural gas resources, which is relatively cheap and clean burning.
November 9, 2009 at 5:54 p.m.