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Carlsbad Desalination Plant Maintains Safe Operations, Monitors Orange County Oil Spill

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CARLSBAD, Calif. (Oct. 6, 2021) – Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Authority issued the following joint statement in response to the recent oil spill off the coast of Orange County:

“The oil spill has not affected the operations of the Claude ‘Bud’ Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. The facility is San Diego County’s largest single source of locally produced drinking water, generating nearly 80 billion gallons of drought-proof water since operations started in December 2015.

“Water quality in Carlsbad’s Agua Hedionda Lagoon – the desalination plant’s intake source – is continually monitored for more than a half-dozen seawater parameters, including oil-in-water concentration. Per State of California requirements in the facility’s drinking water permit, the desalination plant will shut down if the hydrocarbon concentration of source seawater reaches 300 parts per billion. While there has been no indication of oil from Orange County reaching Carlsbad, the facility’s operating team will continue to closely monitor intake water quality.

“In addition, Poseidon Water and the Water Authority are working with local, state, and federal agencies to assess potential preemptive actions in case conditions change, including installation of a floating boom at the mouth of the lagoon. That would protect the lagoon for marine life and ensure the desalination plant can stay online, which minimizes the San Diego region’s demands on other water resources.”

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Drought: Marin, Saudi Crown Prince Eyeing Same Desalination Plants

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Will Houston

Marin County water officials are thinking of buying three desalination plants to bolster local supplies, but they’re facing an unlikely competitor — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Marin Municipal Water District, which might deplete its reservoirs by next summer if the drought continues, had considered renting two portable desalination plants for nearly $30 million from Osmoflo, an Australian company. Last week, the district staff said a third plant has become available and that purchasing them might be less expensive than renting.

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Repeal of County Law Prohibiting Private Operation of Desal Plants Set for Sept. 21 Discussion

/in , , /by /Monterey County Weeklyby Christopher Neely

Monterey County is the only county is California with a law that prohibits private companies from operating new desalination plants. That law, passed in 1989, will be up for a potential repeal when the county’s supervisors meet on Sept. 21.

The law has been thrust into the spotlight as Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp., a publicly traded, $11 billion Canada-based company, has proposed construction of what could be a massive regional desalination plant in Moss Landing.

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Drought: Transbay Pipeline, Desalination Plant Could Boost Marin’s Dwindling Water Supply

/in , /by /CBS SF Bay Areaby John Ramos

Communities across the state are desperately searching for ways to make their dwindling water supplies last. In Marin County, one water district is considering sources that they’ve looked to in the past.

The Marin Municipal Water District gets almost all of its water from the Mt. Tamalpais watershed. But one look at Nicasio Reservoir, now at less than 30 percent capacity, shows how dire the supply situation is becoming.

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Antioch Approves $87 Million Bid for Brackish Water Desalination Plant

/in , /by /East Bay Timesby Judith Prieve

Shimmick Construction Co. has been awarded a nearly $87 million contract to build Antioch’s brackish water desalination plant.

The City Council unanimously approved the company’s bid during a special meeting Friday after rejecting a protest bid from C. Overaa & Co., which also wanted the job. The $86,689,000 contract with Shimmick will include a 5% contingency of $4,334,450 in case of unforeseen costs for a total of $91,023,450.

In addition, council members authorized city staff to increase the total budget for the desalination project to $110 million. Earlier projections had estimated it would cost nearly $70 million.

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Santa Barbara, Montecito Set to Make Historic 50 Year Water Deal Official

/in , , /by /KCLUby Lance Orozco

A South Coast community is celebrating a historic deal this week which will help lock in a reliable, drought-proof water supply for the next half century. The Montecito Water District is signing a 50 year water supply agreement with the City of Santa Barbara Wednesday. The water district is buying into the city’s desalination plant, which converts salt water into fresh water.

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Opinion: Desalination Plant in Orange County Will Help Ensure Clean Drinking Water

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Gloria Alvarado

Although these days no one seems to agree on anything, there is one thing we can all agree on: every Californian should have a right to clean drinking water. But even with that, California is facing an impending water shortage.

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Santa Barbara Council Accepts $10 Million Matching Grant to Operate Desalination Plant

/in , /by /Noozhawkby Joshua Molina

The Santa Barbara City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to accept a $10 million grant — with the understanding that it will run the plant at full capacity for at least 36 out of the next 40 years. Some environmentalists objected to the council’s decision, citing environmental concerns.

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Controversial Poseidon Desalination Plant in Huntington Beach Set for Hearings This Week

/in , , /by /Daily Pilot (Orange County)by Matt Szabo

Poseidon Water’s seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach, first proposed in 1998, could be getting closer to beginning construction after more than two decades.

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Water District Calls on Coastal Commission to Deny Cal Am’s Desalination Permit.

/in , , /by /Monterey County Weeklyby Asaf Shalev

To a large extent, the fate of several multi-million dollar water projects on the Monterey Peninsula is in the hands of the California Coastal Commission. The question is whether the commission will grant a development permit for a desalination plant proposed by California American Water—or will the commission deny the permit and implicitly endorse a smaller project that would provide new water to the area by expanding the regional wastewater recycling facility. A vote is expected at the August 12-14 meeting of the commission.

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