EDITORIAL: Desalination plant should be first of many
OUR VIEW: OK of water conversion plant right step
By: North County Times Opinion staff | ∞
With the governmental challenges cleared, we look forward to the beginning of construction of North County's first desalination plant and offer our hopes it will not be the last.
On Friday, the California State Lands Commission gave its blessing to the proposed $300 million project advanced by Poseidon Resources for Carlsbad's Agua Hedionda Lagoon, adjacent to the existing Encina power plant. The lands-panel's approval was the last regulatory OK needed for construction to begin.
Poseidon hopes to break ground within months and has a tentative date of 2011 to have the plant converting seawater into drinking water at a rate of about 50 million gallons a day; about 9 percent of the county's current needs.
Legal challenges are being threatened by some environmental groups; the Carlsbad plant is the first of several proposed at Southern California sites, including San Onofre and Dana Point. While desalination is relatively new to California, according to Reuters there are 22,000 such plants in 120 countries worldwide producing about 3 billion gallons of drinking water a day.
Water, food and energy are the challenges that await us all as we look at what kind of a world we will leave our children. And our area's lack of water is self-evident.
Innovative ideas should be welcomed, and converting seawater to fresh drinking water should be embraced within them. Thus we trust any lawsuits will be quickly dispatched.
The lands commission's action was the right decision at the right time.
All residents should look forward to seeing the Carlsbad facility in full operation; and we hope it is rapidly joined with other similar conversion plants.
Additional information:
WATER: Carlsbad desal plant gets final approval
REUTERS: W. Hemisphere's biggest desalination plant gets OK
EDITORIAL: Approval of desalination was critical
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Coastal Girl wrote on Aug 28, 2008 9:04 AM:Just remember, these things don't come without a price. Drinking water now costs the resident about $1000 an acre foot. With this plant, it can easily go up to $1250 or $1500 overnight. This is really the first time I have seen Repubs wholeheartedly support a venture like that this will cost the taxpayer...it's just a hidden cost,,,that is untilyou get your water bills and they skyrocket.
coastal guy wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:56 AM:This article is confusing. The Editor seems to support Poseidon's design AND the Dana Point design. But, the Dana Point design avoids killing marine life and reduces energy demand -- Poseidon's does neither. If you really support innovation, then you would support the Dana Point proposal and oppose Poseidon's. You can't have it both ways.
SS wrote on Aug 28, 2008 12:54 PM:"They say" rates will be consistent with current supply rates, but we the residents now subject to this expensive, privately owned source of water (made using a public trust: the ocean) have no way of knowing what is going on behind the scenes.
cent Jack wrote on Aug 29, 2008 3:17 PM:That's it - advocate for more plants without any time to monitor the impact of the first one. Hasn't anyone learned from our short-sighted mistakes of the past? Stop watering your damned driveway and sidewalks already...
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