Listen: Is desalination the right solution to California’s drought problems?
On this edition of Your Call, we’ll discuss the California Coastal Commission’s recent approval of a controversial desalination plant in Monterey County. The plan was approved 9 years after it was first proposed, following 13 hours of debate at a public hearing. Proponents of the plan view desalination as a critical source of drinking water in a drought-starved region. Environmental justice advocates argue the plant could raise costs for low income residents and harm marine life and other wildlife habitats. What is the future for desalination in the west, during an era of climate-induced mega-droughts?