Barriers to desalination aren’t just political but economical, too
In response to “Cunningham can make desalination a reality” (Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12): Mr. Jayson Parsons of Santa Maria extolls Mr. Cunningham’s beliefs about the rosy future of desalination. Although it is true that one plant is now online, it is not true that the barriers to seawater desalination are merely political, not economic or technological.
Despite the passage of time, desal water remains double the price of reservoir water and quadruple the price of water left in the ground due to use of drip irrigation.
It is so easy to forget basic economics. You can’t build plants made essentially of concrete and stainless steel and expect progress to bring the price down. It’s like expecting mass production to make a perpetual motion machine reach perpetuality. Most elected politicians know this and do not make claims that are patently false.
Tom Neuhaus, San Luis Obispo
This story was originally published October 22, 2016 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Barriers to desalination aren’t just political but economical, too."