Coolgardie, Australia – desal before flash
Neither flash nor multi-effect distillation technology were necessary preconditions for commercial desalination – provided there was sufficient demand and scarcity. This example illustrates the requirements.
Prior to the 1887 discovery of gold, there was little demand for Western Australia’s Government to supply water to its south central region. By 1891, an influx of prospectors and the accompanying development created a water crisis. As wells dried up and tanks drained, the Chamber of Mines president wrote to the Premier that miners 'are already reduced to having a gallon of water daily.'
In about 1895, a 454m3/d condenser was constructed in Coolgardie and fired with locally cut timber, consuming 100 tons of wood per day. Water was sold at 5 shillings per gallon – equivalent to over $10 per gallon today – about the same price as whiskey and still less than the current cost of some bottled water.
Since saline borehole water was the source, impingement/entrainment was not an issue, there is no report of the concentrate disposal method used, and it is doubtful that greenhouse gases were even considered. However, one aspect of its environmental impact remains evident: the logging required to fire the boilers is said to be responsible for the sparse vegetation that still exists in the area.