How will heat effect the Desalination Many of the desalination / purification plants will be in very hot desert areas, and therefore the operation of the plants, the storage of the water, and the materials used for the plant and piping will have to be carefully selected.  There will be ample electric from the solar, wind, and existing grids, and this can be used for cooling, heating, and pumping.  We have the technology for building the plants, and should be able to draw from existing designs.  In the past the Reverse Osmosis filters worked best at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, preformed poorly below 50 degrees, and failed at 120 degrees F.  See San Diego design - Click here We have the technology for underground and covered storage of water and should be able to use these designs.  The average person uses 20 gallons of water per day at a minimum. See this document from the U.S.A. Navy / Marines; the document is old (1990), but it does cover most of the aspects of purifying (page 11), storing (page 12) and cooling water (page 17) in the desert areas.  PCN 140 000550 00 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Headquarters United States Marine Corps Washington, DC 20380—0001 5 November 1990 See Desert Water Supply - Click here Possible suppliers of Water Tanks. ModuTank, Inc. of Long Island City, New York Plank Tank, Ltd., of Santa Barbara Possible suppliers of Desalination / Purifiers RainDance Water Systems RainDance Industrial Systems Chlorine Storage Chlorine is used for final purification of water, it kills bacteria that may have passed through the filters.  It will be required at each purifier location.  State of Hawaii. Pamphlet 155 Water and Wastewater Operators Chlorine Handbook  {*.PDF - external file} Index of ...