A Modest Proposal (Desalination for Oregon)

 

Unlike Jonathan Swift's work of the same name, today's post is aimed squarely at the topic of clean water management and creation in Oregon: just some food for thought, or...water for drink, if you like.  Let's begin by acknowledging that we may indeed have a problem here.  Between the wildfires of this year and last as well as the water wars of Southern Oregon's Klamath Basin, and this year's deadly heat wave, change seems to be afoot in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  Consistent water reserves may be turning into a luxury of the past.  While I am no alarmist, and I remain somewhat skeptical of Global Warming as a process created by human beings' industrialization and development, I think it may be prudent at this time to point out some strategies or approaches that could facilitate improved clean water distribution throughout our drying state.

There's nothing quite like waking up to a morning view like this (summer 2020) to get you asking yourself some tough questions.  I lived through Mt. Saint Helens' eruption on May 18, 1980 in my hometown of Yakima, Washington; this was the closest thing I've experienced since that frightening day from my childhood.  While there is certainly a lot of blame to go around--e.g. lack of comprehensive forest management--let's focus on one particular option that might offer a degree of hope.

Desalination is something that everyone has heard of, but people may not understand the degree to which it is being successfully utilized now through cutting edge technology offered by companies such as IDE Technologies and sharp researchers such as Oregon State University's Bahman Abassi .  There have been some phenomenal minds working on this, and the technology is ready to go.  Already, desalination of seawater is being used successfully all around the world--from Israel to Carlsbad.  As far as Oregon's geography and culture, however, I'd suggest that two central obstacles remain--not counting the price tag.

First, Oregonians care deeply about their amazing environment.  Constructing a large industrial facility on the Oregon Coast is going to take some persuasion, and legitimate concerns need to be considered before any shovel ready project can begin.  Environmental concerns on an Oregon desalination project would include site placement, water quality impact, wildlife impact (including whales, sea lions, salmon, etc.), and perhaps even electricity drain on local systems.  I propose using the term sustainable desalination, because it seems that is what is truly within reach.  

For instance, the leftover water and solids routinely returned to the ocean may have a negative impact on the salinity levels of the water for local wildlife.  This can, at least partially, be offset by selling the sea salt on the retail market, potentially also defraying the startup costs.  Think of it, you could cook with Oregon sea salt, thereby helping to support a worthwhile venture for your home state.  As I believe there are already companies in Oregon that create sea salt from our Pacific waters, perhaps mutually beneficial arrangements could be created between the concerned parties: take and sell the resulting salt for a fee that would go towards supporting the project's continuing costs and particularly its required startup investment in machinery, equipment, property, and construction.

Sustainable to me could also include a solar array that creates electrical independence for the desalination facility.  Granted, we'd want to ensure these arrays aren't zapping shore birds flying above, but it's at least one additional option to consider.  Electric self-sufficiency should be within the realm of possibility either now or soon, and it might prove particularly helpful in diminishing the environmental impact of the desalination facility, and helping make it more appealing to its neighbors.

Second, where to build the facility raises some interesting challenges.  If you constructed it between Florence and Newport, you could potentially utilize the Willamette River's own headwaters to facilitate the transport of the freshwater north to the Willamette Valley, since this river flows from south to north.  (I like the idea of using a river rather than pipes when feasible to do so.). Of course, the greatest water need is going to be further south in the state, so perhaps construction between Brookings and Port Orford might offer the best opportunity for transporting the freshwater east to the parched Klamath Basin.  Wherever it's situated, I don't believe it would be required that it sit particularly close to our picturesque coastline.  As in other parts of the world, large pipes could be laid carefully deep into the ocean to draw the seawater in far out at sea where the intake would pose the least risk.

In conclusion, I'll offer a tiny digression here.  For a variety of reasons, I am not a huge fan of the marijuana industry.  Whether it's the legal or illegal markets, it's not my thing.  I've seen the harm it causes people and their families, and I've seen the trouble the grow operations frequently bring to smaller, rural communities.  You may wonder what in the world does this have to do with desalination?  Well, admittedly, it's a tenuous connection, but hear me out.  As detailed in numerous news reports, this industry is particularly hard on community water systems, and illegal operations can cause damage to the water table, as I understand.  In short, there are many other temporary or emergency solutions that a state might consider in times of serious drought.  Curtailment of grow operations, along with actions such as using treated wastewater on agricultural crops, might go a long way in helping bridge the water gap for a time.  We need to all brainstorm and consider ways in which we can salvage our arid farmland and save ranchers from losing their livelihoods.  In the United States, after all, fresh water should be the least of our concerns.

As I told an inquiring college student recently, I am no scientist, nor do I play one on television...  No, I'm just a guy who wanted to share one option for potentially helping to begin to address the water crisis--before it gets even worse.  More than anything, I wished to share this idea with you all for greater discussion.  Let's talk about it and see if it makes sense to pursue.  I don't know what the next step should be, but I feel like we need to move quickly in addressing the water problem before it gets impossible to be a farmer or a rancher in Klamath County--and an ever-growing arid swath.