The main complaint about desalination of water is the concentrated brine getting dumped back into the ocean.
Salt Processing Plants would be built near each Desalination Plant and salt would be sold off as a source of income to offset the operational cost of the plant. Settling ponds will create a localized humid environment and weather models are expected to show increased localized rainfall. Salt can be used as road salt and exported for use in water softeners and Epsom salts all over the world. There wont be much if any profit in this, but it will be a way of getting rid of the salt.
The brine solution that is discharged back into the ocean would be mixed 8 : 1 with sea water and the discharge point would be near the surface. The mixture of sea water into the brine will be adjusted to match the salt content of the brine. Ratios of up to 10 : 1 can be achieved resulting in zero effects on the environment. Once the systems are in place, by using solar power, there will be an almost unlimited supply of fresh water to all of the western states.
All plants would be of identical modular design of (250 MGPD) to take advantage of best value construction and manufacturing practices. A combination of Reverse Osmosis and Multi Stage Flash Distillation would be would be used. Multi Stage Flash uses more power, but you don’t have the media filters that need constant cleaning.
It is expected that as more farmland and trees that grow, the environment will become cooler and this could slow down global warming.
All sea water intake systems would be inside a proprietary screened enclosure that would allow a small fish to come in contact with the screen and easily swim away again. The screens can be easily cleaned.
No harm to the aquatic life is expected. Very little equipment would be needed on the coastline and no major impact would be expected.