Why are beach wells sometimes preferred over open intakes for seawater desalination?

Beach wells are sometimes preferred over open intakes for seawater desalination primarily because they provide a natural pre-filtration mechanism, resulting in higher feedwater quality and reduced pre-treatment requirements. Open intakes directly draw seawater from the ocean, which can contain high levels of suspended solids, organic matter, algae, and other contaminants. This requires extensive and costly pre-treatment processes, such as screening, coagulation, flocculation, and filtration, to protect the desalination membranes from fouling. In contra....