Researchers in Northern California are tapping into the region's fog to collect and store water for everyday use, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. It's a cutting-edge twist on fog collection, an ancient technique that can address California's water scarcity driven by climate-induced drought.
Fog collectors are simple contraptions made of plastic mesh that intercept water droplets from mist. The practice was used more than 2,500 years ago when Indigenous people in the Canary Islands captured fog water by funneling it into underground cisterns.
Now, the water collected could be used to irrigate farms and gardens, mitigating the effects of California's dry spells and deluges. Although fog harvesting's yields are modest, the potential is vast when scaled across communities.
"I see that fog water could be used to supplement irrigation at relatively local and small scales — but all those local small scales added up could mean something," Sarah Baguskas, a San Francisco State professor who tracks fog water collection across Northern California, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
During the 2024 summer season, Peter Weiss, an environmental toxicologist at UC Santa Cruz, used his fog collector to harvest 67 gallons of water. On California's northern coastline, Daniel Fernandez, a professor at Cal State Monterey Bay, has overseen fog collection sites that have yielded as much as 500 gallons over a few months.
Fog water's applications seem promising. According to the Chronicle, Weiss and his team have used fog water to nourish vegetable gardens. They're now experimenting with broader applications, including agriculture, firefighting, and forest restoration.
Aside from practical applications, fog collection is inspiring public art projects, such as a fog-harvesting sculpture in Sebastopol, which aims to educate residents about the importance of water conservation.
Used in the modern day, this ancient weather-harnessing method now has the potential to address water scarcity sustainably. Unlike conventional water sources, fog harvesting works with nature. The technology doesn't divert rivers or deplete aquifers, providing a waste-free alternative to costly infrastructure projects. Cutting waste can reduce the amount of plastic trash littering the planet.
Collecting fog droplets can also be an alternative to running water. As California works to reduce household water use to 47 gallons per day in 2025, fog collection could play a small but meaningful role in achieving that goal. It even has the potential to save residents money on their water bills.
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Definitely 👍 Fog collection isn't the only technique that could address drought. Indigenous women in Oaxaca, Mexico, for instance, are building ferrocement water tanks, an ancestral technique, to collect rainwater its community can use for irrigation, cooking, and hygiene. As for contemporary solutions, scientists have genetically engineered "heat-resistant plants" that could withstand dry weather.
Though still experimental, fog water harvesting continues to gain traction. Scientists are now working with water districts and housing developers to build experimental projects in the Bay Area — a sliver of hope for the future of water.
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