Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the Poseidon's Carlsbad Plant Category
Click here to view all posts

Poseidon’s Carlsbad plant gets good news & bad news: The good news: another lawsuit bites the dust, and the bad news: Coastal Commission wants to reconsider its permit

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 13, 2009 at 8:05 am

Both these stories are from the San Diego Union Tribune. First, the good news for Poseidonand their Carlsbad project:

A judge on Tuesday ruled against environmentalists who sued the California Coastal Commission for approving construction of the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere.

The Surfrider Foundation and the Planning and Conservation League argued the commission’s approval in 2007 failed to require that the developer reduce the damage to marine life caused by the plant’s intake valves, which suck in and destroy fish, larvae and marine life.

Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes ruled that the commission’s approval of the project in Carlsbad did not violate the state water code, noting that the commission required the developer, Poseidon Resources, to restore 55 acres of wetlands.

“We’re pleased that the court has rejected the latest attempt to derail the Carlsbad Desalination Project by a narrow special interest opposed to seawater desalination,” Poseidon Resources Vice President Scott Maloni said. “We hope Surfrider Foundation will decide to put the interests of the San Diego region first and direct its lawyer to stop his futile legal assault.”

Read the rest of this story from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here. You can also read the press release from Poseidon by clicking here.

And now for the bad news for the Poseidon Carlsbad plant:

Just as the developer of an ocean-water desalination plant proposed for Carlsbad’s coast thought it was about to get its final permit, the California Coastal Commission staff says it wants to reconsider a permit it issued previously.

Poseidon Resources proposes building a plant that would turn 50 million gallons of ocean water a day into drinking water. It would be built on the grounds of the Encina Power Station, at Cannon Road and Carlsbad Boulevard.

The company will go before the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board tomorrow for final approval on a plan to make up for the number of fish and other organisms that its desalination process would kill. The proposal calls for the company to develop 55 acres of new wetlands and assure that they produce 3,774 pounds of new marine life a year to replace the marine life that would be killed.

However, Peter Douglas, executive director of the state Coastal Commission, wrote the water quality board last week saying information Poseidon provided that panel was inconsistent with information it provided the commission last year, and it wants to review Poseidon’s permit.

Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.

May 13, 2009 · Filed Under Poseidon's Carlsbad Plant

Comments

2 Responses to “Poseidon’s Carlsbad plant gets good news & bad news: The good news: another lawsuit bites the dust, and the bad news: Coastal Commission wants to reconsider its permit”

  1. kessy on May 13th, 2009 9:47 am

    Apparently, the environmental review process is working correctly and keeping all stakeholders on their toes. Isn’t that how the CEQA full-discosure process is supposed to work? Why would either of the above “news” be good or bad,… unless you have something to gain by the desalination plant project going through. Your post sounds very biased.

  2. Aqua Blog Maven on May 13th, 2009 9:57 am

    Sorry… I meant to pose this as good news and bad news for Poseidon & their plant. I never intended to put a bias on it, so thank you for pointing that out to me.

    I have rephrased the title of the post, and clarified it further in the intros.

Leave a Reply