Describe at least two costs and two benefits of using a desalinization plant to obtain more freshwater?

Advantages:

1. provide drinking water in desertic regions

2. excellent water quality  

Disadvantages:

1. high cost to obtain freshwater

2. possible harmful effects on the aquatic ecosystem

Explanation:

Desalinization plants are centers that provide an independent source of water, critical for human needs. Desalination plants function to remove salt from seawater, thereby turning this water into potable drinking water, which is of vital importance for areas where freshwater is scarce (e.g., desertic regions). Moreover, desalinization plants meet (or even may exceed) standards for water quality because they are prepared to remove impurities (not only salts) from seawater. Nonetheless, desalinization plants may also exhibit disadvantages. In the first place, desalinization is an expensive process that requires an important amount of electricity to push water through a filter (desalinization occurs via reverse osmosis). Finally, desalinization plants may alter aquatic ecosystems in a negative way since the discharge of seawater modifies the salinity and decreases the oxygen levels in the water at the disposal site.