In August 2022, Antioch in California was building the Bay Area's first surface-water desalination plant, CBS San Francisco reported. As drought pushed salty bay water into the Delta, its river intake was usable on only 30 days that year. The reverse osmosis plant at the wastewater treatment site was to produce 6 million US gallons (about 22,700 m³) per day, about a third of demand, with room to double. It was to cost about 110 million dollars, 82 million of it from state grants and loans. Operation was expected by early 2024.
The report showed that desalination became necessary even at a traditional freshwater location once salt intruded into the Delta. According to the city, other water agencies in the region were closely watching the project.
Source: CBS San Francisco