#DesalitationPlants

I once read that the #UAE were completing one one every year.
That was before Covid struck, through...but acc. 2 wiki:

"The UAE relies on desalination for approximately 42% of its drinking water and hosts more *than 70 desalination plants* across the country. Most recent projects increasingly favor reverse osmosis (#RO) technology over traditional multi-stage flash (#MSF) distillation,... continues to...add 240 million imperial gallons per day using #seawater

*Potential for #US #DesalinationPlants*

(1/n)

"We" as in USA?

That is a different story, I'd say.
Not only regarding the size of territory involved or the about 340 mn. people.
I'd hazard a guess, that in the overwhelming parts of the coastlines, it is oceans with completely different tides and storms than in the very calm and relatively protected coastal regions of the Gulf region.
And we have not even talked about the increasing "firepower" of #Hurricanes, not only in

*Potential for #US #DesalinationPlants*

(2/n)

...the "Gulf of America" (lol).

Let's have an Overview:

*#AtlanticOcean:*

The #Atlantic coast faces serious hurricane and nor'easter risks. Recent events highlight the intensity: king tides combined with strong onshore winds can elevate water levels 1–3 feet above normal, with storm surge reaching 6 feet or more.

Rising sea levels compound coastal flooding, as the #EPA has documented that #k ingTides are occurring...

*Potential for #US #DesalinationPlants*

(2/n)

...more frequently, and extreme storm events are increasing in intensity.

In essence, the #Atlantic #coastline has adequate tidal ranges and proven #ReverseOsmosis technology can function, but 👉extreme weather events pose significant operational disruption and infrastructure vulnerability risks requiring heavy investment in resilience measures.👈

#PacificCoast: *

the Pacific's basin has a natural

*Potential for #US #DesalinationPlants*

(3/n)
...oscillation period of about 25 hours (versus 12.5 hours for the #Atlantic), resulting in amplified tides only once daily rather than twice, which 👉reduces overall tidal energy availability compared to the #Atlantic.👈.

While #urricane frequency is lower than the Atlantic, the 👉#Pacific coast faces a far more catastrophic long-term hazard:
the #CascadiaSubductionZone #MegathrustEarthquake. This represents an existential threat to.. @steter

coastal desalination infrastructure.👈

*#Seismic and #Tsunami risk:*

A megathrust earthquake of magnitude 8.7–9.2 is expected within the next 200–800 years, with a 15% probability of magnitude 8+ occurring in the next 50 years.

👉Such an earthquake would cause coastal areas to subside up to 6 feet (approximately 2 meters), permanently lowering elevation!

*Verdict*

Poor...

@steter

...long-term viability: near-certain threat of a catastrophic megathrust earthquake and tsunami within the next 100–200 years 👉makes this coastline unsuitable for major desalination infrastructure. Any facility would face permanent inundation, subsidence, and destruction.👈 This is a fundamental geologic limitation that cannot be engineered away effectively.

[... TBC]

//