Antioch has been experiencing a devastating drought for some while now, and mandatory water conservation measures were put in place, but even these harsh measures have not provided the relief needed.
With no end to the drought in sight and the City Council decided that it is time to stop depending on the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) to supplement its water supply and to look at other means of ensuring potable water for all in the region.
Antioch Plans Desalination System to Increase Water Supply
Antioch enjoys the long-held right to pump whatever amount of water it needs from the San Joaquin River without a state permit, but as the amount of fresh mountain water flowing into the Delta decreases, so the concentration of salt in the river increases, and existing treatment plants are not equipped to handle high chloride levels.
This has led to Antioch having to depend wholly on CCWD for water this year, which has become rather costly. This has led the City Council to unanimously approve a $100,000 contract with a consulting firm to explore the practicability of treating the brackish water pumped from the San Joaquin River.
While adopting desalination technology would help Antioch to regain a measure of independence and afford the city the chance to pump from the river year-round, it would entail building a third treatment plant that would be used whenever the city needed to remove salt from the Delta to boost its potable water supply; this would come at a hefty price.
While water consumption dropped by a staggering 36% last summer, there is definitely a need to ensure that more water is available. Even though a desalination facility would not necessarily completely eliminate Antioch’s dependence on CCWD, it is definitely worth looking into to make Antioch more independent when it comes to its own potable water supply, whether it is via desalination or any other method.
Get water cooler rental and office water cooler from Living-Water in London. Get a free water cooler trial or free water site assessment. Buy water dispensers online and give your business or home a healthy water supply.
