ISRAEL – In the near future, all of Israel’s tap water could come from desalination and nearly 100 percent of the country’s sewage could be recycled and reused. Israel’s Energy Minister Yuvail Steinitz revealed during a water technology conference last month that Israel is preparing for a future where the country can provide water for itself. 80 percent of Israel’s drinking water already comes from desalination, and 90 percent of its sewage is being treated, recycled and reused for farming or gardening.^[1]

ISRAEL – A Jerusalem court suspended the tender to build the Soreq B desalination plant and ordered the state tenders committee to reevaluate it before announcing the winner. The Administrative Affairs Court canceled the decision of the tenders committee, citing failure to disqualify IDE Technologies and Hutchison Water and raised objections against their very participation.

IDE and Hutchison own and run the Soreq A desalination plant, but were found to have falsified water quality data. Despite this finding, the tenders committee failed to disqualify IDE and Hutchison and announced that the two companies were the final candidates for the $569 million Soreq B tender.^[2] 

MEXICO – A senior official with the Baja California Public Services Commission (Cespt) stated that Tijuana needs a desalination plant for its long-term survival. Tijuana’s new Cespt chief Rigoberto Laborín Valdez said that improvements to the aqueduct from the Colorado River to Tijuana or recycling water are not viable alternatives as the quantity will only meet demand until 2024. The Cespt chief stated that desalination is the only solution to Tijuana’s water supply problem and the aim is to build a plant that can provide 570,000 m³/d. If the project gets the green light, it will be the second desalination plant in the northwest of Baja California.^[3]

_{The Colorado River-Tijuana aqueduct in Baja California, Mexico. Credit: Mexiconewsdaily.com}

U.S.A. – The West Basin Municipal Water District  (WBMWD) will continue pursuing plans for the construction of a $500 million desalination plant near the El Segundo Generating Station along Vista Del Mar. Environmental groups are opposed to the Water District’s plan and believe desalination is costly and could be ecologically damaging to Southern California’s water supply. However, WBMWD states that the agency wants to diversify its water portfolio and to reduce the district’s reliance on imported water.^[4]