On the economics of desalination of brackish household water supplies

Chemical constituents dissolved in household water supplies can cause economic damages in the form of reduced life of water-using appliances and pipes. Technological advances in reducing desalination costs and improved measures of damages have changed the conditions under which desalination of brackish water supplies can be considered to be economically feasible. The analysis shows that estimated benefits of desalination exceed costs for some communities with high saline native waters, such as are found in the Arkansas River Valley of eastern Colorado and elsewhere in the Southwest.