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Newsom Pushes Private Seawater Desalting Plant Over Local and Environmental Opposition

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina Boxall

When Gov. Gavin Newsom was photographed dining at an opulent Napa Valley restaurant during a surge in coronavirus cases, many Californians saw it as hypocrisy. For opponents of a planned $1-billion desalination plant along the Orange County coast, however, the optics were menacing.

The unmasked Newsom was celebrating the birthday of a lobbyist for Poseidon Water, which is close to obtaining final government approval for one of the country’s biggest seawater desalination plants.

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City of Antioch Breaks Ground on Water Project in Delta

/in , , /by /East County Today

On Friday,  the City of Antioch, along with local and State dignitaries, broke ground on their new and historic Brackish Water Desalination Plant. At a price of $110 million, the project was made possible with $93 million in funding from the State, and $17 million from the City of Antioch.

“Through this project, Antioch continues establishing itself as both a State and regional leader on environmental best practices,” said Lamar Thorpe, Mayor, City of Antioch. “I would like to thank Governor Newsom for California’s investment in making our Brackish Water Desalination Plant a reality. By working together, we exemplify the very best of our State and our City.”

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Carlsbad Sand Dredging Project Protects Beaches, Water Supply

/in , , /by /10 News (San Diego)by Jonathan Horn

Heavy equipment will dominate a stretch of Carlsbad’s beach near the old Encina Power Plant for the next month.

Crews are funneling thousands of cubic yards of sand per day onto the beach, not only to protect the shoreline, but also the water supply.

Poseidon Water, which runs the desalination plant adjacent to the old power plant is running the project. The desalination plant converts 50 million gallons of ocean water to drinking water per day, providing 10 percent of the region’s water supply.

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Regulators on Poseidon Desalination Plant Received Calls that are Likely Prohibited

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

Three members of the regulatory board considering approval of the controversial Poseidon desalination plant were called by the state’s environmental protection secretary at the time of last summer’s deliberations, an apparent violation of a rule that in serious cases can disqualify members from voting on the issue.

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Opinion: Marin Voice – Advanced Metering, Desalination Would Bolster Water Supply Amid Construction Mandates

/in , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Rick Johnson

Samuel Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” features the phrase, “Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink.”

Unlike the Ancient Mariner who was trapped on a salt-water ocean without fresh water, we in Marin County have fresh water surrounded by a salty bay and ocean.

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Opinion: A Desalination Skeptic Now Sees Carlsbad Plant’s “Undeniable Value”

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Cori Schumacher Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

It is no secret that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant when it was proposed, and I still wasn’t completely on board when the plant began operations in 2015, or even when I was elected to the Carlsbad City Council in 2016.

But time has given me perspective, and I recognize now that the value that the Carlsbad Desalination Plant provides our region is undeniable.

We are now celebrating the plant’s fifth anniversary since operations began. In that time, I’ve seen firsthand how the Carlsbad Desalination Plant benefits our city and the entire San Diego region, given it has produced more than 65 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water. To put that in perspective, that is enough water to fill the Rose Bowl in Pasadena all the way to its brim nearly 200 times!

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New Discovery Could Lead to Cheaper and More Efficient Water Desalination

/in , , /by /Science Alertby David Nield

Removing salt from seawater to make it safe to drink means overcoming a number of scientific challenges, including optimizing the membrane used for the desalination process – and new research into these membranes promises to make the whole operation cheaper and more accessible in the future.

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Eastern Municipal Water District To Receive $25M In Federal Funds

/in , , /by /Patch.comby City News Service

The Eastern Municipal Water District will receive $25 million in federal funds over the next several years to expand its desalination program, increasing fresh water stocks and reducing dependence on water imports, the agency announced Tuesday. The Perris-based EMWD was selected to receive the additional funding under the recently approved federal Water Resources Development Act, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be responsible for distributing the funds.

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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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Cal Am Sues Water Management District Over Public Takeover Report

/in , /by /The Monterey Herald by Jim Johnson

California American Water has sued the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District challenging the environmental review of the district’s potential public takeover bid of the company’s local water system.

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