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Would it have a meaningful impact on the ocean if we threw the salt back in?
by ajmurmann 3y ago
Would it have a meaningful impact on the ocean if we threw the salt back in?
- gavinsyancey 3y ago"The ocean" is not a monolith. You have to pump the brine back into the ocean in a specific location (i.e. wherever the outflow pipe from the desalination plant is). And that has meaningful negative local ecological impacts.
- mywittyname 3y agoYes, absolutely. The supersaturated brine produced as a byproduct decimates local ocean life when it's pumped back into the ocean. It's already a problem while desalination is rare. Imagine how bad it will be at "human-scale". And you can't just divert the brine onto land. Where ever you put it will be salted earth - completely unlivable. And it will probably pollute ground waters.