Ensenada Seawater Desalination Plant

QUESTION:
What is our City doing about the water shortage? Is there an Ensenada seawater desalination plant in the planning?
Thanks. David Ugartechea.

ANSWER: Baja California's government is focusing its efforts to support private investment in construction of plants to transform seawater into drinking water and water for irrigation.

Part of their program includes:

• El Ramal project to extract water from the Colorado River
• treated water reuse
• and desalination of seawater

Competition to turn saline water into freshwater.
In December 2009, will begin competition between individual companies. Will be given permission to the one that offers the best desalination plant project.

In December 2008 the first bidding process was canceled due to infringement proceedings before the "Law of Acquisitions, Leasing and Services" of the applicant companies.

The following data will be included by seawater desalination plant builders into their proposals:
technology for desalination, the quantity of desalinated water in cubic meters per day, the percentage of desalinated water for irrigation and desalinated water for urban supply, the location of the desalination plant, its systems to store the brine and to emit greenhouse gases, and other technical features.

There are both Mexican and foreign companies as competitors.

Other public water sources in Ensenada

• Places where there are now sewage treatment plants: El Ciprés, El Sauzal, El Gallo, Maneadero, and soon Francisco Zarco.

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