USA Water Usewith emphasis on Southern CA

David QuirosFinal Project Presentation

March 15, 2011

Desalination in CA

• Greatest regional water “need”, especially southern CA• Imported water problems include:– Transport losses

– Increased total dissolved solids (TDS)

– Insecurity (transport over San Andreas fault)

• Water rights decreasing• Increased demand with greater population scale

• But will it substantially augment the water supply?

Index Part 1: Digital Elevation Model

Index Value Range

2 < 30 meters

4 30-60 meters

6 60-90 meters

8 90-120 meters

10 120-150 meters

12 150-180 meters

14 180-210 meters

16 210-240 meters

18 240-270 meters

20 > 270 meters

Index Part 2: Network Analysis, CoverageIndex Value Range

1 Within 20 Miles of Plant

20 Greater than 20 Miles from Plant

Index = Part 1 + Part 2Index Value Qualifier

3-10 Most Suitable

10-15 More Suitable

15-21 Suitable

21-40 Less Suitable

>40 Unsuitable

Final remarks

• Membrane separation with Reverse Osmosis makes this feasible

• Large energy costs in production and distribution, much of population areas unsuitable

• Marine coastal effects large with rationale for keeping of once-through cooling systems

• At $0.10/kWh, conservation is 5x cheaper than desalination, and price signals will help maintain populations, and is the suggested route.

Original Data (Desalination Plant Locations)

Model (calculation of annual rainfall)

Model (calculation of annual rainfall)

Google Mashup of Original Data

• http://dquiros.bol.ucla.edu/mashup.html