Californians could be drinking water tapped from the Pacific Ocean off Malibu several years from now — that is, if a company’s new desalination technology proves viable. OceanWell Co. plans to anchor about two dozen 40-foot-long devices, called pods, to the seafloor several miles offshore and use them to take in saltwater and pump purified fresh water to shore in a pipeline. The company calls the concept a water farm and is testing a prototype of its pod at a reservoir in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. The pilot study, supported by Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, is being closely watched by managers of several large water agencies in Southern California. 

Other desalination and water recycling news:

• Daily Breeze (Hermosa Beach, Calif.): Opinion: One major benefit of ridding California of our Coastal Commission: water security​
• Financial Times (London): How a glass of recycled sewage helps on water shortages