Southern California study identifies brine-concentrate issues

The Southern California Regional Brine-Concentrate Management Study is a collaboration between the US Bureau of Reclamation and 14 local and state agency partners, who together form the Brine Executive Management Team. The team identified the management of brine-concentrate from desalination and other water treatment processes as significant in addressing southern California’s water supply reliability. As the amount of brine-concentrate waste increases, several implementational, regulatory and institutional issues present complex challenges to agencies. The USBR report says that there are a number of different elements that together formulate the regional landscape for management of these waste streams. This article sets out the report’s findings. This article first appeared in the May/June 2010 edition of Desalination & Water Reuse magazine.

The Southern California Regional Brine-Concentrate Management Study is a collaboration between the US Bureau of Reclamation and 14 local and state agency partners, who together form the Brine Executive Management Team. The team identified the management of brine-concentrate from desalination and other water treatment processes as significant in addressing southern California’s water supply reliability.

As the amount of brine-concentrate waste increases, several implementational, regulatory and institutional issues present complex challenges to agencies. The USBR report says that there are a number of different elements that together formulate the regional landscape for management of these waste streams. This article sets out the report’s findings.

This article first appeared in the May/June 2010 edition of Desalination & Water Reuse magazine.