Desalination plant review underway at State Lands Commission

From the North County Times:

Roughly 250 people packed into a state hearing Tuesday, many of them arguing that a proposed desalination project in Carlsbad could help protect this drought-stricken region as it confronts a dwindling water supply.

The proposed plant could give the area a guaranteed source of local drinking water and provide a little security for a region that now depends on the distant Colorado River for nearly all of its water, said proponents, who included area water district officials, chamber of commerce leaders and farmers. “I believe the water crisis is the most critical issue facing this region, this state,” said Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis, who was accompanied by three of the city’s four council members at Tuesday’s State Lands Commission hearing.

Opponents of the desalination project, including local coastal preservationists and surfers, said they don’t oppose the idea of producing drinking water out of seawater, but they don’t think the design of this plant is best way to do it. “Here we are with the first one (of what may be many such plants) and it’s one of the worst ones,” said Marco Gonzalez, an environmental lawyer who is active in the local Surfrider Foundation.

Last week, Poseidon issued a press release stating that they would make the operation ‘carbon neutral’ through green construction, wetlands restoration projects, and the purchase of carbon credits. From the article:

In particular, commission Chairman John Garamendi, who also is the state’s lieutenant governor, said Poseidon needs to figure out how it will reduce the carbon dioxide generated by the plant.

“If you haven’t figured (it) out, I suggest you get on it quickly,” Garamendi said to the company’s representatives. Peter MacLaggan of Poseidon Resources said the company would do its best, noting that its proposal to be “carbon-neutral” is something that’s pretty new — both for Poseidon and for the industry.

Also not yet determined is what Poseidon will do if the Encina power plant stops using the intake for cooling. Officials at the power plant have submitted plans to gradually upgrade the plant’s equipment with generators that are air-cooled rather than seawater-cooled.

To read the rest of this article from the North County Times, click here.

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