Desalination conflict

In 2002, Thames Water began to give serious consideration to building the first municipal desalination plant on the British mainland near the Thames Estuary. The Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat, agreed with Thames Water's assessment that they had a supply demand deficit under sustained dry conditions and that there was little alternative but to develop a desalination scheme. However Ken Livingstone, then the Mayor of London, challenged the decision. His view was that Thames Water should improve their leakage performance, manage demand and consider less environmentally damaging options for meeting any shortfall, principally wastewater reuse. Dr Graeme K. Pearce of Membrane Consultancy Associates Ltd will provide an independent assessment of this conflict, comparing the energy use of treating different sources and examining issues regarding the sustainability of desalination.

In contrast, environmental consultant Mott MacDonald will present a paper looking at how Adelaide's desalination plant will provide the city with around 25% of its water supply needs. The 300 Ml/d desalination plant will be operational by December 2010, preserving the water supply to the city. The paper will explore the environmental and technical issues associated with the project and describe how it was delivered.

Water & Environment 2010: CIWEM's Annual Conference will be held on 28th - 29th April in London.