By LAURA WIDES : Associated Press Writer Jan 13, 2003 : 4:59 pm ET

LOS ANGELES -- California's epic quest for water, made more pressing by a Western drought and a cutback in the Colorado River supply, is turning toward what many see as an obvious source: the Pacific Ocean.

For the most part, desalination has long been prohibitively expensive as a source of drinking water in California. But rising demand, dwindling supply, and new technology that makes it cheaper to take the salt out of sea water are changing the economics of desalination.

"It is expensive, but it's not something of the other world anymore," said Adan Ortega, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 18 million customers.

The MWD is approving plans to subsidize five desalination plants, proposals that were submitted by local water agencies. Together, the plants could supply up to 7 percent of MWD's customers by 2007.

"Even though it only represents a small portion of the water we use, it's an additional supply," MWD chairman Phillip Pace said. "It's something everyone has an interest in."

The MWD tentatively approved the proposals in December and expects construction to begin by 2005, pending environmental reviews. The five plants are expected to cost between $70 million and $300 million each.

Elsewhere around the nation, a plant in Florida's Tampa Bay plant is scheduled to open this month, with a second one in the works. Texas is researching desalination sites, while landlocked New Mexico wants to produce drinking water by wringing salt from its brackish underground water. more - http://heraldsun.com/firstnews/37-308841.html

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2003