Abstract
Seawater desalination represents an alternative solution to face the challenge of water scarcity in Chile. However, the uncertainty toward potential environmental impacts of desalination plants represent a barrier to achieving water sustainability and socioeconomic development in Chile. This study aimed to assess the quality of environmental monitoring plans (EMP) and determine the aspects to be improved within it, in order to enhance the management of desalination plants during the operation phase and guarantee a sustainable development of the activity. The Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental Impact Studies for seawater desalination projects published in the Environmental Impact Evaluation System (SEIA) in Chile between 1997 and 2018 were reviewed. The results of the brine production from desalination plants showed a significant increase in the last decade (about 1.6 Mm3 per year estimated according to the projects approved or under implementation). The EMPs data show heterogeneity and increasing requirements over time, which can be attributed to the governmental effort to improve environmental protection. Furthermore, a high frequency of irrelevant descriptors was identified in the current EMPs. The study thus recommended standardizing the environmental requirements included in EMPs based on empiric scientific knowledge to enhance the environmental protection programs in Chile.
Highlights
The continuous increase in global freshwater demand highlights the important role played by desalination to address water scarcity [1]
Number of desalination projects submitted to SEIA in Chile between 1997 and 2018 by their 2
The investigations conducted in this study demonstrate that about 88% of the projects in the Antofagasta and Atacama Regions have been submitted to SEIA, which include those approved or currently subjected to evaluation
Summary
In Latin America, climate change poses critical challenges, Water 2019, 11, 2085; doi:10.3390/w11102085 www.mdpi.com/journal/water. In Chile, which is highly affected by climate change [3,4], desalination of seawater using reverse osmosis has been proven to improve the social and economic sustainability of the country, because it can provide water for both human consumption and industrial activities. Chile faces a critical challenge in providing water for the cities near to the Atacama Desert, which is considered the driest desert in the world. Owing to the geographic characteristics of Chile, with 6400 km of coastline and an average width of 180 km, seawater desalination is considered the best alternative to solve current and future challenges regarding water scarcity in the country [5,6]
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