Desalination loses more urgency in hyper-wet winter – California Desalination began to lose its urgency among Californians and their public officials two years ago, after the drought-busting winter of 2016-17, when heavy rain and snow ended dry conditions in most of the state. The idea of drawing potable water from the sea became even less of a priority this year, when an autumn of record-level fires gave way to one of the stateâs wettest winters on record. Reservoirs are brimming. Instead of desperately seeking new sources of water, Californians were [âŠ] Desalination loses more urgency in hyper-wet winter – CaliforniaHIWI042019-08-10T17:31:00+02:00