Desalination of marginal water: environmental and cost impact Part 1: The effect on long-range regional development Part 2: Case studies of desalinated water vs. local desalination of marginal brackish water

The demand for desalinated water could most easily be met by seawater desal ination. However, this option imposes a heavy economic burden, and furtherm ore it is not the most adequate solution from an environmental point of vie w. In this paper the environment and cost impact of replacing seawater desa lination capacity by desalination of marginal water sources is analyzed. Th e techno-economic analysis is made for the projected demand of Israel, the PNA and Jordan, demonstrating the beneficial cost and environmental impact of supplying a part of the needed water supply by desalination of marginal brackish sources including wastewater. Apart for evaluation of the general effect on long-range regional development case studies of supply of desalin ated seawater vs. desalination of marginal brackish water source in the vic inity of the Dead Sea are presented.