“For more than a decade, local water districts in South County have partnered with cities to explore the possibility of developing a desalination plant in Dana Point to convert ocean water to drinkable water for the area.
“After years of testing, some partners are ready to move forward with permitting for the eventual construction of a plant, but funding is a huge obstacle and not all of the partners are sure they can afford it.”
From the Los Angeles Times, in a commentary by David Helvarg:
“Californians used to call it earthquake weather, the unseasonably warm, dry, blue-sky days that pushed deep into this year’s rainy season. Now we just call it drought.”
“As San Diegans with long teeth recall, the $1 billion desalination plant in Carlsbad is not the region’s first large-scale experience with a life-source science that dates back centuries.
“In 1960, the Interior Department’s 8-year-old ‘Office of Saline Water’ broke ground on a flash evaporation plant near the tip of Point Loma.”
“One year after construction began, the $1 billion Carlsbad desalination plant is under budget and on schedule to begin producing 50 million gallons of drinking water per day two years from now. …
“Poseidon Water, the private company building the plant, and the water authority, which is partnering on the project, will give tours of the plant Wednesday to local media and politicians.”
“Simply put, 2013 was a watershed year for water agencies in Santa Cruz County.
“Often in short supply in California, water became an even greater environmental and political focal point in 2013 — the driest on record for some parts of the state — after the city of Santa Cruz drew down its reservoir to the lowest level in nearly two decades and pressed the pause button on a controversial seawater desalination facility.”
“The city of Santa Cruz opened the application process Thursday for a new citizen-led advisory panel that will study water supply and management options for at least the next year.
“The City Council approved the formation of the 14-member task force Nov. 26 to lead a new public outreach effort on water planning.
“In a rare example of regional cooperation, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian officials have signed an agreement aimed at generating new water sources for all three and saving the Dead Sea, a unique nature site and prime economic asset.”
From The Desert Sun, in a commentary by Jerome H. Holmlund:
“The Salton Sea water loss poses a growing environmental and economic threat to the Coachella Valley, Imperial County and the state. …
“In the 21st century, why should the Coachella Valley and Imperial County be threatened with severe economic and environmental problems, and the Salton Sea’s preservation questioned, to transfer water from a desert to cities on the shores of the Pacific Ocean?
“A state Public Utilities Commission judge has indefinitely postponed review of a highly secretive settlement agreement proposal between California American Water and Monterey County over the failed regional desalination project.”
“At a recent state Coastal Commission hearing on a proposed seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach, the debate was not about the merits of using the Pacific Ocean as a water source.
“If you’d like to know more about what the Monterey County government staff did to help get a desalination plant, or what they might have done to make the project fail, well you can forget about it. You may be paying for their work, but what they did is none of your business.
“That’s how the Public Utilities Commission sees it.”
“State coastal commissioners Wednesday postponed a vote on a proposed seawater desalination plant after concluding that they lacked the information to decide whether a key part of the proposal should be redesigned.
“A state board with too many questions and not enough answers has postponed a decision on the Poseidon Water desalination plant.
“California Coastal Commissioners on Wednesday determined they want Poseidon to further study how the proposed $899 million project could operate in Huntington Beach.”
“State coastal officials say a hotly disputed proposal to turn ocean water into tap in Orange County should be revamped to protect marine life but the company planning to build what would be one of the Western Hemisphere’s two biggest desalination plants called the recommended changes a deal killer.”
“Poseidon Water is seeking final approval for its 50 million-gallon desalination facility, but it won’t come without a fight from environmentalists and a push for changes to the company’s plan.
“The California Coastal Commission will take up the issue today in Newport Beach – 15 years after the company started its quest to build the facility at Newland Street and Pacific Coast Highway.”
“Poseidon Water is seeking final approval for its 50-million-gallon desalination facility, but it won’t come without a fight from environmentalists and a push for changes to the company’s plan.
“The California Coastal Commission will take up the issue Wednesday in Newport Beach, 15 years after the company started its quest to build the facility at Newland Street and Pacific Coast Highway.”
“A proposed seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach could significantly harm parts of the Southern California ocean environment unless substantial changes are made in its design and operation, according to the staff of the state Coastal Commission.
“A staff report prepared for this week’s commission vote on the project highlights the potential downside of large-scale efforts to turn the salty water of the Pacific Ocean into drinking supplies for coastal California.”
