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How not to desalt the sea: San Diego project isn’t the model for the rest of us, says editorial

Posted by: Maven on November 20, 2009 at 6:34 am

From the Long Beach Press Telegram, this editorial:

“The Metropolitan Water District, which has had some rough criticism recently on these pages, last week made another controversial decision. The latest one would help finance a desalination plant that should never be built and could cost water customers $350 million over the next 25 years. Even so, it was the right thing to do.

That last point may seem odd, but here’s what’s going on. An outfit called Poseidon Resources LLC wants to build a plant in north San Diego County to desalt sea water, and wants some public help to finance it. In addition to the MWD subsidy, the company wants state approval to sell tax-free municipal bonds to cover the rest of its costs.

Everybody except Poseidon would be much better off without this project. It is environmentally unsound because, as opponents correctly say, it would suck sea creatures directly into its intake tubes and destroy them. It is financially unsound because, as opponents correctly estimate, its costs will be so high nobody would want to buy its product. … “

Click here to read the rest of this editorial from the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

November 20, 2009 · Filed Under San Diego

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