Nevada paying to desalinate California water?

(Hat tip: Brown & Caldwell California Water News)

The state of Nevada is looking at paying to double the size of a proposed desalination plant in California, from 28,000 acre-feet of water per year to 56,000. In exchange, California would give Nevada the right to pull 28,000 acre-feet of water per year from Lake Mead, along the Colorado River.

If this deal goes through, Nevada will be paying $941 per acre-foot of water, or $2.16 per hundred-cubic-foot billing unit. This cost includes the cost of treating the water from Lake Mead, as well as the loss of revenue because the water is no longer running through the hydroelectric generators in the dam, but going to cities in Nevada, instead.

Other possible sources of water for Nevada include buying water from Arizona, for $264 per acre-foot, but this deal runs out in one or two decades.

Desalinating brackish water pumped up from 100 feet down could cost as much as $2287 per acre-foot, and surprisingly, xeriscaping – replacing lawns with desert plants – costs $5450 per acre-foot saved.