US Municipal Desalination Plants: Number, Types, Locations, Sizes, and Concentrate Management Practices

Abstract

This article presents results and observations from a series of surveys of US municipal desalination plants conducted during the last 20 years. The surveys were conducted to determine the number, characteristics, and concentrate disposal practices of US desalination plants. Each survey was intended to identify and contact each US plant that produces 25,000 gpd or more. This cutoff eliminated smaller plants that serve truck stops, mobile home parks, hospitals, campgrounds, etc. Succeeding surveys did not undertake to recontact all previously contacted plants but focused primarily on plants built since the initial survey.