Environmental impacts of desalination
Water intake and brine discharge
One of the arguments against desalination as a drinking water supply solution is its impact on the environment. External water intake and brine discharge can have deleterious impacts on marine ecosystems. The brine can accumulate on the seabed if it is not dispersed (3) and has a great impact on Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds (1). This species is very sensitive to the increase in salinity, as is Delile, which is a marine meadow endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, whose beds represent a relevant ecosystem that may be affected by these desalination effluents, especially in the Spanish Mediterranean (9).
During our interview, professor Erik Swyngedouw explained:
“The most important actors which are not heard in this desalination controversy are the non-humans. Desalination is commonly portrayed as ‘environmentally more sensible’, especially in comparison to inter-basin transfers and large hydro infrastructure projects, but if you consider the ecological transformation as a result of desalination there are significant impacts! Fish don’t talk in the human language. However, there are mostly ecologists, who speak for the fish, the health of the ecosystems and habitats, which are threatened by the desalination such as the waste in the form of saline brine. Indeed, there are significant problems of disposal of the waste from desalination. In fact, the waste from desalination is highly saline.”