State Approves $13 Million Council-Backed Request to Advance Desalination

California this week approved $13 million for a major desalination research and development initiative that the Bay Area Council had been advocating for two years. The funding will support the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory-led National Alliance for Water Innovation Energy-Water Desalination Hub. The research and development initiative aims to reduce the energy demand of water desalination by 90 percent in the next three years, which would help open the floodgates to affordable and sustainable drought-proof water supplies across the state.

Lawrence Berkeley Labs secured a $110 million grant from the U.S. Department Energy in 2019 but required a $13 million state match to proceed. Securing state funding has been a top Bay Area Council’s Water & Climate Resilience Committee policy ever since, and we’re thrilled to have helped ensure the next generation of desalination technology emerges right here in the Bay Area. To engage in the Council’s water policy work, please contact Vice President Adrian Covert.