Is it possible to use ocean water for crops?

Question

Agriculture uses the most water in California. Would it be possible to build distilling plants that take the salt out of salt water so california can use it for things like crops, lawns, car washes, etc.? I know fresh water from the colorado river and resevoirs have minerals but Im sure we can add some to distilled salt water. Laying down pipes and channels to get water to crops and cities is possible because thats how water from the Colorado river gets to California cities like LA and San Diego. Building distilling plants (not green plants that grow from the ground; the other plants, kinda like factories) would make more jobs. I know money isnt an issue for the government to build these because they spend billions on war and war technology. what do you think?

Answer 1

This question is in the 'conservation' section. With that in mind, desalinization uses massive quantities of electricity to produce relatively small amounts of pure water. There are several techniques, everyone of which is incredibly energy intensive. This seems counterproductive and wasteful.

Answer 2

Desalination plants exist worldwide.  There are quite a few in the middle eastern countries and China is building a few enormous plants.  They are also used on military ships.  One of the major problems that you have when you talk about building a de-sal plant of any size for irrigation is the extensive infrastructure that needs to be built to pipe the water from the desal plant to the farms.  A more cost effective means of getting to the ends is to import the crops that would otherwise need the water for irrigation.

Answer 3

The cost of ditillation is just too high to use it as a solution for agriculture needs in the interior of the US.

But there are crops that you can use ocean water for.  Aquaculture of fish, shellfish, seaweed and a varitety of other goods is possible along the edge of the ocean.  So it is already being done would be my answer to your main question.

Desalinzation for use in the interior may come about eventually if we can figure out an energy source cheap enough to make it reasonable in terms of cost.

Answer 4

you can us ocean water but the cost to desalinization plants are very expensive there are a handful of these plant around the world but they are places were it is cheaper to do this instead of bringing water in also usually there is no nearby water source to bring it into the country. I believe  the Arabian country of Bahrain use desalinization plants .

Answer 5

For governments War is more important than people

their focus is on depopulation, not Agriculture

To convert sea water is too expensive

The Arabs would have been doing it long ago if they could

.Money was no problem for them ,and lack of water is their biggest problem.

To get more water you must produce it ,by planting or building for precipitation .

As well as harvest what you can .

Agriculture uses 70% of all water supplies ,when they are in trouble they go into or affect ,the cities percentage

Waterharvesting.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 6

Certain areas of the world have built desalinization plants ocean or seaside to convert salt water into potable water for people use as well as for agriculture. When the resources around the states do not match the need for water there will be an effort to find more water sources. Desalinization may be one of them.

Answer 7

Money is the only issue.  Many Middle Eastern countries do exactly what you are suggesting.  Now all you need to do is convince the residents of southern California to trade their extravagant lifestyles to pay for the real cost of fresh water.

Answer 8

The answers already here are right on the money. It could be done with desalinization plants, but do you want to pay $50.00 an ear for corn?