State officials, researchers and industry representatives told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee that rising desalination and water recycling activity will produce larger volumes of saline "brine" and that the state should encourage pilots that reduce disposal volumes and recover valuable materials.

"Brine disposal and management is a growing issue, and it is one that is causing water to become increasingly expensive," Chair Bennett told the panel when introducing the discussion. Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, said current regulatory frameworks require salt‑and‑nutrient management plans when recycled water is proposed for a basin and that regional solutions, such as the Central Valley's CV‑Salts program, will be necessary.

New pilot projects and technology

Peter Fisk, executive director of the National Alliance for Water Innovation, described federally funded R&D and California pilots that aim to squeeze more fresh water from brine and to harvest minerals. "We have new cycles that enable you to squeeze most of the drops of water out" of a concentrate that historically discarded roughly half the feedwater, Fisk said. He described pilot work in Cambria and other sites to extract magnesium and other materials from brine and pilots producing gypsum and chemicals that can be sold or used on‑site.

Fisk said some pilots are already obtaining commercial commitments for recovered commodities and that state investment so far has leveraged federal funds at roughly a 3:1 ratio. He asked the committee to consider targeted incentives to accelerate demonstration and early deployment of extraction and zero‑liquid discharge technologies.

Regulatory context and energy implications

State Water Board and DWR officials said the board has developed permitting pathways for common ocean discharges and that regulators can and will review alternative approaches proposed by project proponents. Esquivel noted the dominant role of reverse‑osmosis technology but said emerging chemical and alternative separation cycles are promising. Department of Water Resources and Water Board staff cautioned that many advanced chemical or thermal separation processes are energy‑intensive and that coordination with energy agencies may be needed.

Legislative questions raised

Committee members asked whether current marine water‑quality regulations are sufficient to protect bays and inland aquifers, how the state will monitor brine discharges, and whether new inland disposal methods will need technical or financial support. The LAO suggested the Legislature consider regional collaboration and review other states' approaches. Water Board staff said they will continue to permit and adapt as new technologies emerge and urged pilots and proofs of concept to show feasibility.

Ending

Lawmakers and witnesses agreed to follow up on specific pilot sites, regulatory adaptations and the possible role for modest targeted incentives or technical assistance aimed at encouraging technologies that reduce disposal volumes and recover useful commodities from brine.