Seawater typically contains approximately 36,000 ppm of total dissolved solids (TDS). The World Health Organization has established a maximum TDS level of less than 500 ppm for potable water. Quite obviously, any water treatment technology capable of making seawater drinkable must be able to reduce the total dissolved solids by 99% or more. Reverse osmosis is especially well suited to this application. As a matter of fact, desalination of seawater and treatment of brackish water were among the first practical applications of reverse osmosis. RO technology is particularly cost-effective, requiring lower capital costs than alternate treatment methods such as evaporation and distillation. In addition, reverse osmosis is far less energy intense which lowers operating cost. Newer membranes are effective at lower pressure than older types, and also exhibit higher product water to feedwater (i.e., recovery) ratios. This all contributes to lower cost-per-gallon of water produced. In general, a water treatment system involving RO will feed raw water through a series of filters to remove solid impurities as well as to treat turbidity and other problems. Water pressure is increased by pumps to force the feedwater through the reverse osmosis membranes. The resulting purified water is then treated with standard drinking water chlorination, and is fed directly into the potable water storage and distribution system.