Desalination is emerging as a promising solution to increasing water scarcity, but membrane fouling remains a critical operational challenge that drives higher energy consumption and costly maintenance cycles. Our project develops a data-driven framework to continuously assess fouling risk using routine plant operational data, reducing reliance on manual testing. The framework supports more proactive maintenance decisions, such as cleaning or replacement, based on the predicted system condition. By moving beyond rule-based strategies, the approach aims to minimize operating costs while improving system reliability and membrane lifetime.