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Carlsbad Desalination Plant-Building-WNN-primary-March 2020

COVID-19: Carlsbad Desal Plant Workers Shelter-in-Place to Keep the Water On

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune and Water News Networkby Phil Diehl and Water News Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused companies and organizations around San Diego County to take measures to continue serving the public.

As of Friday, 10 workers are quarantined inside the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plan for the next three weeks, monitoring and adjusting gauges and switches, watching for leaks, and doing whatever is needed to safeguard San Diego County’s only significant local source of drinking water.

COVID-19 pandemic prompts ‘extraordinary steps’

“We asked some employees to be locked down at the plant for 21 days to isolate the risk of infection,” said Gilad Cohen, CEO of IDE Americas, the global company that operates the Carlsbad plant and others around the world.

The request for volunteers was a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “mission critical” employees will work 12-hour shifts, sleep in rented recreational vehicles in the parking lot, and be resupplied with fresh food left for them at the plant’s gate. They will be furnished with washers and dryers to do their own laundry, and the desalination plant’s kitchen and cafeteria are available to them.

Read the rest of the story from The San Diego Union-Tribune here: https://bit.ly/2wz5pZd

The San Diego County Water Authority purchases up to 56,000 acre-feet of water from the Carlsbad plant per year – enough to serve approximately 400,000 people annually.

The plant is a major component of the Water Authority’s multi-decade strategy to diversify the county’s water supply portfolio and minimize vulnerability to drought or other water supply emergencies.

“While the on-site team shelters in place, a second team is remaining in isolation at home and fully prepared to take over plant operations should any situation arise that would necessitate a change in staffing or if the COVID-19 threat extends beyond 21 days,” according to a statement from Poseidon Water.

“Poseidon Water is working in close coordination with the San Diego County Water Authority, IDE Americas Inc. and the California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water and will continue to evaluate the situation and take any necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted production and delivery of safe drinking water from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant.”

Carlsbad Desal Plant Aeria-Coronavirus-WNN-March-2020 primary

Carlsbad Desalination Plant Workers Self-Isolate

/in , /by /Water News Network / WaterWorldby Ed Joyce / WaterWorld

In an effort to ensure continuity of operations, ten volunteers are sheltering in place at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in San Diego County. Poseidon Water‘s Jessica Jones shares this inspiring story of selfless dedication to keeping the water flowing.

“They did volunteer to operate the plant on-site for 21 days,” said Jones. “There were ten recreational vehicles brought in, so each worker has their own RV and food is delivered for them without human contact.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Poseidon Water decided to take this step to ensure there is uninterrupted production and delivery of safe and reliable water for San Diego County.

Ten workers, 12-hour shifts, 21 days

The on-site team will sustain plant operations and maintenance for the duration of the 21-day period to ensure continued production of high-quality drinking water, in compliance with all state and federal drinking water standards.

The plant normally operates with 42 employees. She says the ten workers are able to operate the entire plant.

“They’re doing the job of quite a few people,” Jones told WaterWorld.

The three-week period started Thursday, March 19, the first day of spring. Jones said another group of employees are ready to relieve the ten workers during or after the 21 day period if needed.

Jones said the ten employees are working 12-hour shifts. The interview with Jones is part of WaterWorld Magazine’s on-going coverage of COVID-19.

Ten volunteers shelter in place at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant

Watch the interview between Jessica Jones and WaterWorld Editorial Director Angela Godwin here: https://bit.ly/33K5HbU

The San Diego County Water Authority purchases up to 56,000 acre-feet of water from the Carlsbad plant per year – enough to serve approximately 400,000 people annually.

The plant is a major component of the Water Authority’s multi-decade strategy to diversify the county’s water supply portfolio and minimize vulnerability to drought or other water supply emergencies.

Critical Water Plant Workers Self-Isolate on Site

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

In an effort to ensure continuity of operations, ten volunteers are sheltering in place at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in San Diego County. Poseidon Water’s Jessica Jones shares this inspiring story of selfless dedication to keeping the water flowing.

The Water Authority purchases up to 56,000 acre-feet of water from the Carlsbad plant per year – enough to serve approximately 400,000 people annually. The plant is a major component of the Water Authority’s multi-decade strategy to diversify the county’s water supply portfolio and minimize vulnerability to drought or other water supply emergencies.

 

https://vimeo.com/400055713

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Carlsbad Desal Plant Workers Begin Shelter-In-Place

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribune by Phil Diehl Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As of Friday, 10 workers are quarantined inside the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant for the next three weeks, monitoring and adjusting gauges and switches, watching for leaks, and doing whatever is needed to safeguard San Diego County’s only significant local source of drinking water.

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Carlsbad Desalination Plant-WNN-primary

Carlsbad Desalination Plant Staff Take Extraordinary Step to Shelter in Place to Ensure Operational Continuity at Critical Facility

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“As manager of the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in San Diego County, our top priority is to ensure the health and safety of the employees and compliance with stringent state and federal standards for the production of a safe and healthy drinking water supply.

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Opinion: Why Desalination Can Help Quench California’s Water Needs

/in , /by /CalMattersby Wendy Ridderbusch

If you’ve ever created a personal budget, you know that assigning your money to different investment strategies is a crucial component to meet your financial goals. When you stop dipping into your savings account each month, savings can begin to build.

Understanding why desalination is so critical to California’s water future is a lot like building a personal budget. With a changing climate, growing population and booming economy, we need to include desalination in the water supply equation to help make up an imported water deficit.

The California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Food and Agriculture recently released the Water Resilience Portfolio. In it, officials highlighted the importance of diversifying water supplies through the introduction of new water sources and preparing for new threats, including more extreme droughts.

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Rep. Mike Levin and San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Jim Madaffer on November 6, 2019.

Rep. Levin Touts Bipartisan Efforts to Fund Water Supply Reliability

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Rep. Mike Levin said California’s innovations and investments in water supply reliability and renewable energy are a model for the nation – and that the state’s efforts protect the environment while growing the economy at the same time.

Levin, an attorney and congressman from San Juan Capistrano, represents the 49th District, which includes, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside and a portion of southern Orange County.

He made his remarks November 6 during a Legislative Roundtable at the San Diego County Water Authority attended by water agency board members and staff, local civic and business leaders and Citizens Water Academy graduates.

Water supply reliability through supply diversification

“We need a diverse array of resources for water,” said Levin. “Water is a finite resource that we often take for granted.”

The Water Authority periodically holds Legislative Roundtables to hear about water-related issues in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. More than 60 people attended the Wednesday event, asking Levin a variety of questions about water, energy and climate change.

In his first 11 months in office, he has sponsored and co-sponsored the following bills:

  • Border Water Infrastructure Improvement Act
  • Desalination Development Act
  • Water Recycling Investment and Improvement Act
  • Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act
  • Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act

Desalination Development Act introduced

Levin cited the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as an example of the “deep innovation” necessary to increase sustainability, referencing legislation he introduced to increase federal funding for desalination projects.

He introduced that legislation in July 2019 to raise the funding authorization in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act for desalination projects to $260 million.

Levin said his bill would help strengthen regional water supplies by supporting projects like the South Coast Water District’s Doheny Ocean Desalination Project and the City of Oceanside’s Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility Well Expansion and Brine Minimization Project.

California’s clean energy economy a ‘model for the nation’

He also said California has proven that a clean energy economy works to enhance environmental sustainability and jobs.

“We’re leading the way in California, and at the end of the day, we’ve developed a clean energy economy,” Levin said. “The state is a model for the country in how to protect the environment and grow the economy.”

Why Desalinating Water is Hard — and Why We Might Need To Anyway

/in , /by /Discover Magazineby Jillian Mock

In places like San Diego and Dubai, where freshwater is scarce, humans turn to machines that pull the salt out of seawater, transforming it into clean drinking water.

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Upgrade for Desalination Project As It Plans Private Note Placement

/in , , /by /The Bond Buyerby Keeley Webster Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Poseidon Resources received a one-notch upgrade to BBB from Fitch Ratings ahead of plans to privately place a $45 million note to finance construction of a new intake system for its desalination plant in Carlsbad, California.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch won the right to purchase the three-year note, expected to close in November, according to sources close to the deal.

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San Diego regional water quality regulators issued a new permit for the development of permanent, stand-alone seawater intake and discharge facilities at the Carlsbad Desalination Plant. Photo: Water Authority

Fitch Boosts Desalination Plant Bond Rating

/in , /by

Bonds from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and pipeline were upgraded to BBB and given a stable outlook in a new report from Fitch Ratings, affirming the project’s sound management and its ability to provide a stable, reliable source of drinking water to the San Diego region.

As the largest, most technologically advanced and energy-efficient plant of its kind in the nation, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant’s stability stems from an effective collaboration between Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Authority.

That partnership will continue under a transfer of ownership from Orion Water Partners to Aberdeen Standard Investments approved Thursday by the Water Authority’s Board of Directors. The transfer – made public in June – will not alter day-to-day operations at the Carlsbad facility or create a fiscal impact to the Water Authority.

Poseidon Water continues to manage desalination facility

The plant will remain governed by terms of the 2012 Water Purchase Agreement between Poseidon Water and the Water Authority. That 30-year agreement requires Poseidon to obtain the Water Authority’s written consent of the transaction and to reimburse the Water Authority for its costs related to consideration of the consent request. Under the WPA, the Water Authority agreed to purchase between 48,000 acre-feet and 56,000 acre-feet of water from the desalination plant each year at a price established by the contract.  At the end of the 30-year term the Water Authority can assume facility ownership for $1.

“We are honored that maintaining Poseidon Water as the facility manager was integral to the Water Authority’s approval of the ownership transfer and by the Water Authority’s acknowledgement of our exemplary stewardship of this valuable resource,” said Carlos Riva, CEO of Poseidon Water. “We look forward to working alongside our new partners to continue providing the San Diego region with a climate-resilient drinking water supply and ensuring the plant continues its strong operations.”

Desalination plant is ‘hedge against drought’

Water Authority Board Chair Jim Madaffer said the desalination plant is a valuable asset that provides high-quality water, a hedge against drought and insurance against earthquakes that could disrupt imported water deliveries. “With more than 50 billion gallons of water produced and counting, the Carlsbad plant is a critical part of our region’s infrastructure – and we don’t expect the sale to change that in any way,” he said. “In fact, we anticipate many more years of productive partnering with Poseidon.”

The Carlsbad Desalination Plant has met approximately 10% of the San Diego region’s water needs. The planned construction of new, technologically advanced and environmentally sensitive intake and discharge facilities will further enhance operations.

Higher ratings expected to save ratepayers money

Plant partners also praised the improved ratings for the desal plant and the associated pipeline by Fitch Ratings, which upgraded bonds from BBB- to BBB based on the plant’s strong operational record, updated financing projections for capital improvements, and Fitch’s expectation that the positive trend in financial and operational performance will continue.

Also this week, Moody’s affirmed its Baa3 rating for the plant and pipeline bonds. When those bonds are refinanced, higher ratings are expected to save ratepayers money by lowering the interest rate paid on the debt.

Since its inception as a public-private partnership, the Carlsbad facility has received numerous national and international awards.

The P3 approach allowed the Water Authority to develop new, capital-intensive, public-serving infrastructure without incurring debt or negatively affecting bond ratings, a fact recognized in 2016 when S&P raised the Water Authority’s credit rating to AAA citing, in part, the successful delivery of the Carlsbad facility.