In many San Luis Obispo County communities, water is the single biggest limiting factor on development. Social media commenters with a shallow understanding of water economics frequently suggest that water districts are weak willed. The argument is, “You got all the water you need, the biggest ocean in the world is right there. Go get it.” … The county is studying desalination as a resilient source of drinking water, and there are certainly communities that need water — Nipomo, Los Osos and Cambria spring to mind. But when wells and reservoirs are full of relatively cheap water, it is hard to sell expensive desal. It has been a long evolution of finding the easiest cheapest water sources.

Other desalination news:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal: Opinion: Tapping the Columbia? How about desalination?