AWWA SP250148 ✓ Most Recent

It is possible to design a plant which can be initially operated on brackish water and later converted to operate on seawater; however, because of the extreme variation in the operation parameters, it is not very cost effective. In the case presented, an alternate water source was available, providing the capability to treat seawater was not economically viable. In other cases, where brackish water lenses exist but have slow recharge rates, it may be more feasible to initially install a brackish water system and operate the plant until the water quality begins to deteriorate. Then the production from the brackish plant could be reduced to levels which could be sustained by the recharge rate. The shortfall in production resulting from reduced brackish water plant capacity would have to be replaced by capacity from a new seawater plant. See more