As Santa Barbara Looks to Revamp New Desalination Plant, Local Residents and Others Call for a Ban on Fracking in California

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Environment California

As California continues to suffer through one of the worst droughts in recorded history, local cities like Santa Barbara are struggling to figure out how to keep clean water flowing to their residents. Santa Barbara and others are looking at desalination as a way to keep the water flowing in their cities. 

Desalination refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water. Desalination is an expensive way to get clean water; it also can destroy our coastline. 

On Thursday the Santa Barbara County Water Guardians delivered 20,000 signatures to win a ban on fracking in Santa Barbara County.  

Californians Against Fracking is urging Governor Brown to ban fracking in California. Fracking is a new form of oil extraction that can use millions of gallons of water, water we just can’t spare. Fracking also pollutes our air, destroys our beautiful places and is a major contributor to global warming.