<p>With <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination" rel="nofollow noreferrer">desalination plants</a> the import thing to consider is from where such plants are taking water and where they are disposing of their waste.</p>

<p>The waste from desalination plants is either salt of very salty water. If the plant you are referring to is just dumping its waste on the ground nearby or into a nearby river or water channel it is possible that the salt in the discharge water from the plant will enter the ground water, making it salty.</p>

<p>Generally this should not happen and in most situation it does not. With desalination plants near the seashore, the waste water is discharged back into the sea, but far from the intake for the plant.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-07T13:35:59.273Z
2018-10-07T13:35:59.273Z
Fred
<p>Some desal plants takes brackish water from under ground and treat it. YES it does cause problems with salinity, though the water used is often pumped back underground to be used again.
But desalination plants that take water from the sea have no effect on ground water, if anything they can be used to regenerate ground water by agreeing to donate certain percentage of the water produced for ground water replenishment.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-28T18:50:36.777Z
2020-10-28T18:50:36.777Z
LazyReader
<p>I saw an article recently in the newspaper stating that a desalination plant near the seashore was causing the ground water to become saline. Usually I would expect that areas where saline water already sometimes intrudes would see this, but in this scenario the residents around the plant claimed that before the establishment of the plant the ground water had tasted "as tender coconut".</p>

<p>If they are right then what may be cause for that saline water intrusion...</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-07T10:20:44.507Z
Hi Mahesh, seems like an interesting question you've asked.  I had some trouble understanding a few parts, the language seemed a little broken in places.  But I tried to work through it and figure out what you were saying.  Please read through my edit/pop it in a translator and see if it still makes sense for what you were asking.  If we're still having troubles conveying what you are asking into English, you could try asking in [chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/?tab=site&host=earthscience.stackexchange.com) if anyone speaks your language that would be willing to help translate better :-)
JeopardyTempest
<hydrology><coastal>
Do desalination plants affect the ground water table?
MAHESH RAM
# Do desalination plants affect the ground water table?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-07)

I saw an article recently in the newspaper stating that a desalination plant near the seashore was causing the ground water to become saline. Usually I would expect that areas where saline water already sometimes intrudes would see this, but in this scenario the residents around the plant claimed that before the establishment of the plant the ground water had tasted "as tender coconut".

If they are right then what may be cause for that saline water intrusion...

**Tags:** hydrology, coastal

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0, seems like an interesting question you've asked.  I had some trouble understanding a few parts, the language seemed a little broken in places.  But I tried to work through it and figure out what you were saying.  Please read through my edit/pop it in a translator and see if it still makes sense for what you were asking.  If we're still having troubles conveying what you are asking into English, you could try asking in [chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/?tab=site&host=earthscience.stackexchange.com) if anyone speaks your language that would be willing to help translate better :-)  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-10-07. Score: 3

With [desalination plants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination) the import thing to consider is from where such plants are taking water and where they are disposing of their waste.

The waste from desalination plants is either salt of very salty water. If the plant you are referring to is just dumping its waste on the ground nearby or into a nearby river or water channel it is possible that the salt in the discharge water from the plant will enter the ground water, making it salty.

Generally this should not happen and in most situation it does not. With desalination plants near the seashore, the waste water is discharged back into the sea, but far from the intake for the plant.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-10-28. Score: 1

Some desal plants takes brackish water from under ground and treat it. YES it does cause problems with salinity, though the water used is often pumped back underground to be used again.
But desalination plants that take water from the sea have no effect on ground water, if anything they can be used to regenerate ground water by agreeing to donate certain percentage of the water produced for ground water replenishment.


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