Professor David Jassby, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle for his expert insight on the City of Antioch’s new desalination plant. In the article by journalist Kurtis Alexander, the plant is described as being located at the city’s existing water treatment campus, where incoming water is first processed through a conventional treatment facility to remove sediment and other contaminants before salt removal begins.

Professor Jassby highlighted the importance of investing in local desalination infrastructure, noting that “by building the desalination capacity locally, you build in a resilience toward external disruptions.” He also emphasized that key challenges extend beyond cost, including the safe and sustainable disposal of brine produced during treatment.

The Chronicle further reports that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has confirmed a proposal to desalinate delta water in partnership with several Bay Area water agencies. Reflecting on the broader significance of expanding desalination capacity, Professor Jassby stated, “We understand how to do these things on a very large scale now—it’s going to be of growing importance.”

Read more on this piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.