Future Water Technology: Ocean Well and Desalination

Joe Grindstaff
Jun 26
5 min read

Industrial water treatment plant with blue racks of white membrane tubes, pipes, pumps, and yellow grated floors in a bright warehouse

Water planning has always required us to think ahead. In Southern California, that means looking at where our water comes from today, but also where it may need to come from in the future.

Our region has long relied on a mix of imported water, groundwater, recycled water, conservation, and infrastructure investment. That diversified water supply has helped Southern California get through droughts, growth, and changing conditions. But the challenges ahead are real. Climate change, longer dry periods, less reliable snowpack, pressure on the Colorado River, and aging water infrastructure all remind us that we cannot rely on one source or one solution.

That is why future water technology matters.

One area worth watching is desalination, including newer approaches like Ocean Well technology. These ideas are still developing, and they need careful testing, environmental review, and public oversight. But they are part of a larger conversation about how California can build a more reliable and climate-resilient water supply.

What Is Desalination?

Desalination is the process of removing salt and other minerals from seawater or brackish groundwater so it can be used as fresh water. In simple terms, it takes water that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to use and turns it into a potential drinking water supply.

California already recognizes desalination as one possible tool in a broader water supply portfolio. Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) currently has three brackish water desalters and they take groundwater and treat it and supply drinking water for our region. These will continue to be expanded and will always be a part of the water supply for our customers. We are also part of the process underway to develop the Doheney Seawater Desalination Plant. No final determination on our participation in that facility has been made, but even though it is expensive it seems clear that seawater desalination is in our future. The California State Water Resources Control Board explains seawater desalination requirements through the state’s Ocean Plan, which includes rules for desalination facility planning, permitting, intake systems, brine discharge, water quality, and marine life protection.

That last part matters. Desalination can be useful, but it cannot be separated from environmental responsibility. Any seawater desalination project must consider energy use, ocean impacts, cost, permitting, and how it fits into the larger water system.

In other words, desalination is not a magic fix. It is one tool that may help strengthen California water supply reliability when used carefully.

What kind of Technology is being developed?

Traditional seawater desalination plants are usually built on or near the coast. They pull seawater into a facility, remove the salt through reverse osmosis or another treatment process, and discharge the concentrated brine back into the ocean. One of the new approaches to ocean desalination is Ocean Well.

Ocean Well technology explores a different approach. Instead of relying only on a large land-based facility, the idea is to place modular desalination units underwater and use natural ocean pressure to help move seawater through reverse osmosis membranes.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District OceanWell pilot describes the concept as a staged approach that begins with a reservoir pilot, moves toward an open-ocean demonstration, and could eventually become a full commercial water supply project. Las Virgenes is a public water district, so it provides a useful public agency source for understanding how the pilot is being evaluated. EMWD is also following these developments very closely and may choose to join that project.

The Associated Press also reported on the technology in its article about how freshwater production is moving deep beneath the sea. The AP story describes Ocean Well as an emerging desalination concept being tested in California, with the goal of seeing whether deep-water pressure can help reduce some of the energy demands connected to traditional desalination.

This does not mean the technology is ready to solve every water challenge. It is still being tested. It still needs review. It still needs to prove itself over time.

But it is the kind of innovation Southern California should be paying attention to.

Why Ocean Desalination Matters to Inland Communities

Hemet is not on the coast, so it is fair to ask why ocean desalination should matter to our community.

The answer is that Southern California’s water system is connected.

Our local water reliability depends on more than one source. We rely on local groundwater, recycled water, treated brackish groundwater, and imported water that moves through regional systems. When one part of the regional system is under stress, it can affect everyone. When another part of the region develops a reliable new supply, that can help reduce pressure on imported water and strengthen the larger system.

That is why future water supply planning cannot only focus on what is inside city limits. We have to look at the full regional picture.

If coastal agencies can responsibly develop new local water supplies through desalination, recycled water, stormwater capture, or other tools, that may help improve Southern California water reliability overall. That matters for inland communities too.

Desalination Should Be Part of the Portfolio, Not the Whole Plan

When we talk about future water technology, we have to be careful not to treat one idea as the entire solution.

Desalination should not replace conservation. It should not replace recycled water. It should not replace groundwater recharge. It should not replace investments in aging water infrastructure. And it should not distract from the need to protect the Colorado River, the Delta, and local groundwater basins.

Instead, desalination should be viewed as one possible piece of a larger water supply portfolio.

Southern California needs a balanced approach that includes:

More recycled water
Groundwater recharge
Imported water reliability
Water conservation
Brackish groundwater treatment
Stormwater capture
Infrastructure repair and replacement
Environmental protection
New water technology

The future of California water will not come from one big project. It will come from many smart decisions made over time.

Innovation Still Needs Accountability

New technology is exciting, but public accountability still matters.

Before any new desalination project becomes part of a long-term water supply plan, agencies should ask basic but important questions:

Does the technology work consistently?
How much water can it actually produce?
What does it cost?
How much energy does it use?
How will it protect marine life?
How will brine be managed?
Who pays for it?
How does it compare to recycled water, conservation, groundwater recharge, and other options?

These questions are not meant to stop innovation. They are meant to make sure innovation serves the public.

As water agencies plan for the future, residents deserve clear information about both the benefits and the tradeoffs.

Preparing for a Drier Future

California’s water future will require creativity. We are already seeing the effects of climate change on water planning, from reduced snowpack to longer dry periods and increased stress on imported water systems.

That is why we need to keep investing in proven strategies like recycled water, conservation, groundwater recharge, and infrastructure maintenance. But we also need to stay open to new tools that may become more useful over time.

Ocean Well and other emerging desalination technologies may not be the whole answer, but they could become part of the answer.

The goal is not to chase every new idea. The goal is to carefully evaluate promising solutions and build a water system that is reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible, and ready for the future.

For the San Jacinto Valley and the surrounding region (and indeed the State and Nation), that kind of long-term planning matters. Water reliability is not built overnight. It is built through steady investment, smart policy, and a willingness to look ahead before the next crisis arrives.