| Drinking Ocean Water |
| Most of the United States has, or can gain access to, ample supplies of fresh drinking water. However, in some parts of the country and world, fresh drinking water is in short supply. In addition, as the population continues to grow, shortages of fresh drinking water will occur more often. In some areas, salt water – from the ocean, for instance – is being turned into drinking water. Drinking ocean water, however, is a tricky process. In California, the towns of Santa Barbara and Avalon have begun using desalinization methods to remove the salt from seawater and make it suitable for drinking. A promising method to desalinate seawater and make drinking ocean water possible is the "reverse osmosis" method. Right now, the high cost of desalinization has kept it from being used more often, as it can cost over $1,000 per acre-foot to desalinate seawater and turn it into suitable drinking water, compared to about $200 per acre-foot to purifty normal water sources into safe drinking water. However, desalinization technology is improving and costs are falling. Tampa Bay, FL, for example, is currently desalinizing water at a cost of only $650 per acre-foot. As both the demand for fresh drinking water and technology increase, you can expect to see more desalinization occurring, especially in areas such as California and the Middle East. Home Page | FAQs | Glossary | Contact Us |