01
CREATE NEW WATER
Coastal Desalination
OCEAN → FRESHWATER
THE PLAN
The Southwest doesn’t need one miracle project.
It needs a system.
Create new water. Replace Colorado River demand where possible. Deliver water directly where necessary. Power it with abundant, reliable energy.
See How It Works →HOW THE PLAN WORKS
One integrated water + energy system.
See the whole idea first. Then walk through each part of the system one section at a time.
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02
EXCHANGE + SUBSTITUTE
Mexico + California
REDUCE RIVER DEMAND
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03
STRENGTHEN THE COLORADO
More Water Stays in the System
RIVER + RESERVOIRS
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04
POWER THE SYSTEM
Nuclear + Solar
RELIABLE ENERGY
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05
POWER GROWTH
Communities + Agriculture + Industry
A STRONGER SOUTHWEST
WATER DELIVERY INFRASTRUCTUREPipelines • pumping • reservoirs • treatment • existing water systems
01 — CREATE NEW WATER
Turn an abundant ocean resource into reliable freshwater.
Coastal desalination creates water that does not depend on Colorado River runoff. The concept considers the Gulf of California and Pacific Coast as strategic locations for new supply.
New supplyWater created outside the existing river allocation.
ScalableCapacity can grow in phases as the system proves itself.
Flexible operationProduction can increase when abundant power is available.
02 — EXCHANGE & SUBSTITUTE
New water doesn’t have to travel to the Colorado River to help it.
Use new coastal supplies closer to where they are produced to replace existing Colorado River demand. If the required agreements and accounting recognize that substitution, more Colorado River water could remain in the system.
MEXICO EXCHANGE
Supply water closer to demand.
Freshwater produced near the Gulf could support participating uses in Mexico. If binational agreements and water accounting recognize the substitution, a corresponding amount of Colorado River demand could be reduced.
0.50 MAF modeled base · 0.75 MAF expansion caseCALIFORNIA SUBSTITUTION
Replace river demand locally.
Pacific desalination, reuse and other local supply can reduce Colorado River demand while also improving local water reliability.
0.75 MAF modeled base · 1.00 MAF expansion caseSEA OF CORTEZ→CONVEYANCE→ARIZONA / CAP
A direct supply pathway where substitution alone is not enough.
03 — DIRECT DELIVERY
Bring water to Arizona where substitution alone isn’t enough.
A Sea of Cortez-to-Arizona corridor is an illustrative direct-supply pathway toward Arizona’s existing water system. Moving water inland is physically possible in principle, but the route remains unengineered and its elevation, pumping requirements, environmental impacts and capital needs require detailed study.
0.50MAF / YEAR
MODELED BASE→0.75MAF / YEAR
EXPANSION CASE
Power the System →MODELED BASE→0.75MAF / YEAR
EXPANSION CASE
04 — POWER THE SYSTEM
Water infrastructure needs abundant, reliable energy.
The current concept combines firm nuclear generation with large-scale solar, targeted battery storage and flexible desalination.
Illustrative new-nuclear caseTwo large units · approximately 2.2 GW nameplate
Additional firm powerWould be evaluated only if future water + grid demand requires it
Solar + storageSupport flexible water production and grid needs
“Store water, not massive amounts of electricity.”Put It All Together →
05 — ONE SYSTEM. ONE GOAL.
More water. Abundant energy.
Room to grow.
The goal is not simply to create more water. It is to build an integrated water-and-energy system that strengthens the Colorado River while giving the Southwest the resources to prosper.
WATERCreate supply + reduce river demand
Mexico0.50–0.75 MAF
+California0.75–1.00 MAF
+Arizona0.50–0.75 MAF
1.75 MODELED BASE→2.50 EXPANSION CASE→3.00 STRATEGIC GOAL
+
POWERMake the water system possible
New nuclearIllustrative firm-power case
SolarAbundant daytime power
StorageGrid + operating flexibility
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A STRONGER SOUTHWESTWater + power create room to prosper
🏙️Communities
🌱Agriculture
⚙️Industry
▦Data Centers
💧River System
This is the system we’re testing. The water pathways, energy requirements, infrastructure, economics and environmental impacts must all work together for the concept to succeed.
