Subcommittee members and agency witnesses discussed brine disposal and management as California expands desalination and water recycling. Chair Bennett framed the session by noting projected growth in desalination and recycled water and the scale of future brine flows.

State Water Resources Control Board chair Joaquin Esquivel said coastal discharge and inland brine handling are regulated and flagged the Central Valley salinity challenge. "The state is well positioned to be able to continue to innovate in this space," he said, and pointed to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Boards CV-SALTS program as an example of coordinated basin-scale salinity planning.

Board staff described existing rules that require salt and nutrient management plans and said permitting pathways exist for typical ocean discharges and brine-line approaches but that staff will work with applicants to tailor solutions.

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) executive director Peter Fiske presented research and pilot activity supported with federal and state leverage. Fiske described advanced separation cycles, non-membrane chemical capture methods and pilots that recover valuable minerals from brine streams. He cited an example where magnesium metal was extracted and noted inland pilots that convert brine into marketable chemicals and gypsum; he also referenced a planned pilot in Cambria to reduce brine volume and produce dry salts.

Legislators and panelists discussed energy intensity and greenhouse-gas implications of brine processing. NAWI said smarter operations could flex production to times of lower electricity demand, aiding grid reliability.

Why it matters: brine is an inevitable byproduct of increased desalination and some advanced recycling; without adequate management it can raise disposal costs, harm water basins and limit reuse expansion. New treatment and recovery technologies could both reduce disposal volumes and yield commercially valuable byproducts, helping lower net costs.

Next steps: lawmakers asked the administration to remain open to innovation in permitting and to consider incentives or targeted pilot funding to accelerate deployment of technologies that reduce brine discharges, lower energy footprints or recover valuable materials.