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Lawmakers probe brine disposal risks as researchers pitch technologies to recover water, minerals and reduce costs
Summary
Committee heard agency staff describe existing regulatory frameworks for desalination and recycled-water brine management while researchers described pilots that extract useful minerals and reduce brine volumes; members asked administration to keep permitting and funding open to novel, lower-emission approaches.
Subcommittee members and agency witnesses discussed brine disposal and management as California expands desalination and water recycling. Chair Bennett framed the session by noting projected growth in desalination and recycled water and the scale of future brine flows.
State Water Resources Control Board chair Joaquin Esquivel said coastal discharge and inland brine handling are regulated and flagged the Central Valley salinity challenge. "The state is well positioned to be able to continue to innovate in this space," he said, and pointed to the Central Valley…
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