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Deep-sea desalination is on the cusp of providing a source of clean water from the Caribbean to the Emirates

An experimental technology now in testing holds the promise of revolutionizing California's depleted water supply. California spends billions to store water, pump water and recycle water. But even with climate change bearing down, one strategy is a tougher sell: desalinating water and pulling it from the sea. There are roughly a dozen desalination plants operating in California, including the massive Carlsbad plant at San Diego. But approval of new plants is typically met with fierce opposition from many environmental groups.

A new deep-sea desalination technology is undergoing testing in Southern California. Water managers hope it will offer an economical and environmentally friendly way of tapping the Pacific Ocean for fresh water. The CEO of the company that developed the technology calls it a moonshot to revolutionize how California — and the world — can transform seawater into drinking water. If the system proves viable, the company plans to build what it calls a water farm anchored to the ocean floor several miles off the coast of Malibu. Californians could be drinking water tapped from the Pacific Ocean off Malibu several years from now — that is, if a company’s new desalination technology proves viable.