Desalination subject of WRA webcast in June

The WateReuse Assocation (WRA) is holding a webcast on 29 June 2011 on the subject of Desalination: A Sustainable and Reliable Water Source for the 21st Century.

The webcast is cosponsored by the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation.

It will explore the current and future trends in desalination in the US and abroad. Among the topics discussed will be cost, energy requirements, environmental impacts, permitting and technology.

Success stories and lessons learned will also be featured for desalination facilities in Florida, Texas and California, including:

  • Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant (Florida) – Currently the largest operating seawater desalination plant in North America and designed to produce up to 25 million gallons per day of drinking water.
  • Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant (El Paso, Texas) – Producing 27.5 million gallons of fresh water daily, the world’s largest inland desalination plant is a critical component of the border region’s water portfolio.
  • Ocean-Water Desalination Demonstration Facility (Redondo Beach, California) – By conducting research and testing on full-scale equipment, West Basin has set ambitious goals to increase production of desalinated ocean-water to comprise 9% of its drinking water supply by 2020.
  • Andy Shea, chair of the WRA Desalination Committee will introduce
 presenters 
Nikolay Voutchkov, Water Globe Consulting; 
Ken Herd, Southwest Florida Water Management District
; John Balliew, El Paso Water Utilities; and 
Phil Lauri, West Basin Municipal Water District.