Panoche drainage district near Fresno is using technology and renewable energy to develop new sources of fresh water. The district receives salty, subsurface drainage water from surrounding farms. A pilot project uses solar energy to power a desalination plant, which produces higher-quality potable water than is delivered by California's tunnels and aqueducts. As the west suffers from longer, more severe droughts, developing new, low-energy sources of water is increasingly urgent.
(http://agalert.com/story/?id=8427)
