WHAT IS DESALINATION?

Desalination is the process of removing salinity (dissolved salts) from a salt water source.

It has been used for more than 100 years in dry climates such as the Middle East, Spain, Malta, Cyprus and parts of the United States where access to traditional water supplies is limited.

In response to climate change and drought in Australia, desalination plants are becoming more common. There are now desalination plants operating or under construction in Sydney, Perth, the Gold Coast and Adelaide.

Various methods can be used to desalinate seawater with the two most common being thermal (evaporative) and reverse osmosis (membrane-based) technologies. The Victorian Desalination Project will use reverse osmosis technology.

Reverse osmosis plants use pressure to force seawater through very fine membranes to separate salt and water molecules. (See Desalination technology for more information on the reverse osmosis technology used at the Victorian desalination plant.)

This form of desalination technology is more energy efficient, has less visual impact and is more cost effective than thermal technologies.

The major benefit of desalination is that it can continue to deliver high quality drinking water even if there is no rain.