Water desalination research underway at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility, New Mexico, United States (U.S.). Image credit: WaterWorld
Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, Alan Mikkelson recently disclosed that the Bureau will be giving US$3.62 million to 13 states to conduct laboratory and pilot-scale water purification and desalination research. The US$3.62 million, which is federal funding, will be matched by a further US$3.52 million in non-federal reserves, according to WaterWorld.
In total, one continuing pilot-scale project, four new pilot-scale projects, and 16 laboratory projects were identified and selected.
“Desalination and water treatment provide a potential new source of water for communities throughout the West,” Mikkelson said. “The research funding provided today will enable new technologies to be studied to see if they can help improve the treatment of water.”
The Desalination and Water Purification Research Programme (DWPR) will help the Bureau and its partners face the increasing water challenges as well as the imbalances between water demand and the available supply in basins located across Western U.S. through the testing and development of new advanced water treatment technologies.
The DWPR also concentrates on three main goals, increasing the supply of potable water in the U.S.; developing approaches and methods that can reduce the financial impact of desalination so that it can be an attractive option in relation to the other alternatives in areas where more orthodox sources of water are inadequate; and understanding the environmental impacts of water desalination, as well as develop ways in which the impact can be minimised.
Source: WaterWorld
