SACRAMENTO, Calif. (RFD-TV) — Farmers and ranchers in the West continue to face water shortages, but turning seawater into freshwater may be too expensive to offer much relief.
California state leaders estimate new desalination projects would cost between $3,400 and $3,700 per acre-foot of water, more than twice the average farm revenue generated from that amount of irrigation water.
Even high-value crops such as lettuce, strawberries and almonds could face thousands of dollars in additional costs per acre if growers relied on desalinated water.
The process requires substantial energy and infrastructure investments, which could make desalination more practical for cities than for large-scale agricultural irrigation.
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