District Seeks to Build 2 Desalination Plants
The Water Replenishment District hopes to build two desalination plants in Torrance to remove salt and chloride from ground water underneath the city. The plants could be operating by next year if all the permits are granted to build them, a district official said.
The two plants, costing $5 million each, would turn brackish water into drinkable water that would be sold to residents, said Melinda Sperry, an engineer with the replenishment district.
Over the years, the ground water below Torrance has been depleted by industrial and residential users, Sperry said. In 1940, a sea water intrusion barrier was installed, but there is still a mound of salt water trapped inland.
One plant would be at Sepulveda Boulevard and Anza Avenue; the second plant would be at Madrona Avenue near Spencer Street. They would process 1.5 billion gallons a year. The district hopes to sell the water to the California Water Service Co., which would sell it to customers in Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and parts of Torrance.
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