TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Two years ago, Arizona state leaders were actively exploring the idea of a binational desalination plant that would bring water from the Sea of Cortez to the state. The plan, spearheaded by former Governor Doug Ducey, aimed to address the state’s growing water shortage. However, after facing backlash from water authorities and a lack of transparency, the project ultimately fell through. Later, Governor Katie Hobbs redirected funds away from long-term water supply projects, further pushing desalination off the table for the time being.

Despite these setbacks, one local researcher has continued to push the boundaries of desalination technology and is hopeful that his breakthroughs could provide a solution to the ongoing water crisis in Arizona. Professor Mark Witten, a researcher at the University of Arizona, has spent the past 17 years finding ways to efficiently remove salt from seawater.

In 2023, he shared his efforts with the public, explaining how his low-energy desalination technology could significantly reduce the cost and energy consumption typically associated with removing salt from seawater.

“We’ve gotten to the point where we can take out 99% of the salt from simulated ocean water,” said Witten, reflecting on his progress.

His recent work has culminated in a groundbreaking discovery that allows for the removal of 335 parts per million (ppm) of concentrated salt, which is the same salinity level found in Earth’s oceans.

He was initially working with a silicon disc, and decided to try isolating salt by using a reactive metal. He experimented with tungsten, copper, iron, and magnesium. Witten described finding success with a small magnesium disc, so he purchased a larger disc.

Witten recalled, “When I first did the first experiment. I just bought a brand new salinity meter from Amazon, and it registered 333 parts per million after I did the desalination. Remember, I started out at 35,000 parts per million. So I thought something was wrong with my new salinity meter. So I went into my kitchen, filled a glass of water, and measured the salinity. It was 425 parts per million and I almost fainted because I thought I had hit the jackpot.”

Witten is confident that his technology can make a real difference. “Our technology, we believe, can produce an acre-foot of water for less than $400,” he said. An acre-foot is equivalent to one acre of land covered by a foot of water, a standard unit of measurement for water volume.

Beyond providing freshwater, Witten hopes his technology will provide more resources. He highlights that the salt could contain lithium, an essential component for electric vehicle batteries, which could help further support the green energy industry.

“We plan to collect the salt and mine lithium from it,” Witten explained. “The electric vehicle industry cannot grow without more lithium, and this could help address that challenge as well.”

As Arizona faces the very real threat of water scarcity, Witten’s innovative desalination technology offers a potential solution to one of the state’s most pressing issues. He believes that large-scale desalination could help protect Arizona’s future by ensuring a more stable and sustainable water supply.

“The future growth of this state, and the other states in the Colorado River Compact, is in danger because we don’t have enough water,” said Witten.

As the state continues to grapple with its water challenges, Witten sees a future where the ocean could provide an answer to Arizona’s water shortage. Witten’s next steps involve getting an industrial prototype of his desalination technology off the ground.

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Thick snow is piling up in the Northeast while Southern Arizona is dry even for a desert. KGUN9 was at University of Arizona talking to a National Weather Service meteorologist about the dangers a continued dry winter could bring.

We have not needed an umbrella for a very long time except maybe for shade. Even by Arizona standards it has been an unusually hot dry winter.

It doesn’t take long for snow to go from white, fluffy and beautiful to a wet, messy, sometimes dangerous nuisance.

But here in Arizona, people are crying for at least a little bit of some sort of moisture.

Over at Harlow Gardens, Melaney Quinnrose is looking for plants with a better chance of surviving a drought.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been drier. We got a lot more rain last winter. I still had green stuff in my backyard last winter, and I don’t now.”

Cyndi Anderson is adjusting to keeping plants in Arizona after living in Washington state.

“I couldn’t believe in December just how quickly things can die, if you’re not on it.”

“So we’re running drier than normal right now, especially compared to last winter.”

At the National Weather Service Tucson office meteorologist Dalton Van Stratten says they’ve recorded no rain at all at the airport since November 3rd.

You can blame the drought on a climate effect way out in the Pacific Ocean. A surge of cold water called La Nina usually brings dry winters to the Southwest.

But our winter rains are important to build water reserves.

Van Stratten says, “If we don’t receive enough winter to restore the water in the aquifers, then we can have increased drought conditions so the soils will dry, the vegetation will dry, which will cause an increased concern for our fire weather season, which typically is in the mid to late spring time.”

But he says except for an occasional rain that breaks the pattern expect this year’s winter to stay dry.

An Arizona pastor was busted for secretly recording videos of women using his church’s bathroom after the camera fell out of a dryer, according to police.

Arturo Laguna, a pastor at the Casa de Adoracion in Phoenix, allegedly installed the recording device in the church bathroom last fall and recorded the women in October and early November, according to a police report obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix.

The perverted preacher was only caught after a mother discovered the camera while changing her baby’s diaper inside of the strip mall church’s women’s bathroom, cops said. 

Investigators later found screenshots of Laguna adjusting the camera inside of the bathroom. When police interviewed Laguna, he confessed to having put up the camera in October. 

Authorities searched the camera’s SD card and uncovered four short videos of adult women using the bathroom, according to the outlet.

The pastor was arrested in November and charged with multiple counts of voyeurism — a felony in Arizona. 

He was indicted last week and is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 9.

The Post has reached out to Casa de Adoracion for comment.

In October while he was allegedly filming the women, Laguna, who leads a largely immigrant congregation of about 100 people, spoke to the Associated Press about his faith community and the upcoming 2024 presidential election.