The semi-arid California San Joaquin Valley, one of the world's largest agricultural regions, requires vast amounts of imported irrigation water. As a result of an impermeable clay layer close to the surface, tile drainage has been installed in most active farming areas.
Drainage is required to prevent salinity build-up and water logging in the root zone of crops.
Proposed drainage water treatment involves a variety of technological and environmental issues. Waste minimization and disposal thus become critical issues. Secondly, reclamation and re-use of drainage water would help augment diminishing water supplies in California which has experienced water shortages for decades. Design of a satisfactory membrane plant for this mission will require careful optimization of numerous design parameters in an effort to provide water reclamation at minimum cost. Present research efforts are focused on two specific areas.