WIRED Science: Space, Health, Biotech, and More

Desalination Is Booming as Cities Run out of Water

WIRED Science: Space, Health, Biotech, and More

This story originally appeared on Yale Environment 360 and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Some 30 miles north of San Diego, along the Pacific Coast, sits the Claude β€œBud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, the largest effort to turn salt water into fresh water in North America. Each day 100 million gallons of seawater are pushed through semi-permeable membranes to create 50 million gallons of water that is piped to municipal users.

Next Episodes