캘리포니아의 서부도시상수도지구(West Basin Municipal Water District)는 사우스베이(South Bay)의 해수담수화 시설 건설을 위한 연구의 일환으로 환경 영향 보고서의 작성을 시작하기로 결정했다. 보고서에 따르면 West Basin은 100Ml/d 규모와 300 Ml/d 규모 해수담수화 시설의 운영과 모든 환경 영향을 평가할 방침이라고 밝혔다.

환경에 잠재적으로 중대한 영향을 끼칠 이번 프로젝트는 캘리포니아 환경품질법(Environmental Quality Act)에 준수해야 하며, 공기의 흡입 및 배출, 대기 오염, 온실가스 배출에 의한 영향을 측정해 얼마나 환경문제를 완화할 수 있을지 살필 계획이다.

California's West Basin Municipal Water District board of directors has voted to begin an environmental impact report as part of its research towards the construction of a seawater desalination facility in the South Bay.

In its impact report, West Basin said it will evaluate all environmental impacts associated with building and operating a 100 Ml/d and a 300 Ml/d ocean water desalination facility. 
 
Engineering projects with potentially significant impacts to the environment are required to quantify them under the California Environmental Quality Act. The West Basin impact report will quantify impacts attributed to the intake, discharge, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and include a determination of how much mitigation would be required for the facility to neutralize its impact.
 
"It is important that West Basin evaluate a responsible ocean-water desalination programme, should it be needed in the future," said West Basin Board President Gloria D Gray.
 
West Basin said it had contributed to the regulatory measures that have helped shape California's desalination policies such as the recently finalized desalination permitting process adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board on intakes, discharges and mitigation.

[출처 = Desalination & Water Reuse / 2015년 7월 14일]