Alabama Water Quality Information System

— Choose a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) —


	1.-		Can non-coastal areas benefit from desalination of seawater?


	2.-		Can we expect to see more sea water desalination in the U.S. in the future?


	3.-		Do desalination operations have potential to damage the environment or marine life?


	4.-		Does desalinated water cost more than conventional treatment of relatively salt-free surface water and groundwater?


	5.-		Does salt concentration or salinity of water affect solubility of oxygen?


	6.-		How does saline ground water become saltier than the oceans?


	7.-		How many desalination (brackish water and seawater) plants are there in the United States and where are most of them located?


	8.-		How much does it cost to build a major desalination facility?


	9.-		How much line pressure is needed to force seawater through a semi-permeable membrane reverse osmosis (RO) unit in a single-pass process to separate the total dissolved solids (TDS) and produce water suitable for drinking?


	10.-		How much of the dissolved solids in seawater is common salt, sodium chloride (NaCl)?


	11.-		How much salt is there in the sea?


	12.-		How much seawater can a desalination plant using reverse osmosis purify per day?


	13.-		How salty is sea water in comparison to fresh water?


	14.-		Is desalination expected to increase in the future in the U.S. even though we are a relatively water rich country?


	15.-		Is it practical to use several membrane filtration systems in conjunction with one another for water purification?


	16.-		Is sea water the saltiest water found on earth?


	17.-		Since over 97 percent of water on earth is saltwater, why do we not invest more in desalination to produce freshwater?


	18.-		What are the important benefits of placing a seawater desalination plant next to an existing coastal power plant or building one in conjunction with a new power plant?


	19.-		What happens to the salt that is removed by desalination of seawater?


	20.-		What is desalination?


	21.-		What is salinity and how is water rated for its salinity?


	22.-		What is the average cost of desalinating brackish groundwater and seawater?


	23.-		What is the difference between salt water and freshwater?


	24.-		What is the difference between saltwater, brackish water and brine?


	25.-		What is the source of saline ground water called connate water?


	26.-		What percentage of the U.S. population lives in coastal states and counties that could use desalinated seawater as their primary source water in the future?


	27.-		When will it become cheap enough to desalt seawater to offset developing water shortages in the western United States?

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This website was developed by the ACES Water Quality Team, under the leadership of Dr. James E. Hairston. It is funded, in part, by USDA-CSREES water quality grant support under Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998.