Brine, salt water, things that come out of Desalination plants are normally put back in the ocean at an environmental cost. Why cant the brine be pumped somewhere safe, or have the salt removed and put somewhere safe? Arent there plenty of places on land to put all of that salt? Why cant the brine be pumped into the desert to evaporate?
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Simple answer: space, contamination, and money. Any waste product will require large amounts of land to store. It also takes a lot of money to build something to hold or store and monitor the waste product.
Even if it’s a hole in the ground (just like a landfill) it would be required to provide an barrier to protect contamination to a ground water source.
Also, think about the cost to transport millions of gallons of brine water to a desert or wherever. Even if you say you can pump it, it would cost a ridiculous amount to pump it.
Source: Professional Engineer that designs water and wastewater plants
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