Fresh blow to planned Marin plant

Plans for a desalination plant in Marin, California, suffered a further setback this week, with the publication of an official report suggesting the district has enough water to meet its needs until 2040.

The draft 2015 Urban Water Management Plan, released by the Marin Municipal Water District this week, said that barring a major drought the “district has adequate supply to meet future demand through 2040 in average years and in the first two years of a multiple-year drought.”

Water use in Marin county has dropped significantly since a desalination plant was approved by the water district board in 2009. Work on the plant was suspended in 2010 in light of falling water demand.

The Marin Independent Journal reported water board member Jack Gibson as saying desalination is no longer discussed as an option.

He told the newspaper: “We are in sound shape as long as we don’t have extreme drought… There is no need to bring in a mega- project like desalination for the time being, but it would be good to have on the back burner in an event like that.”