Search: Desalination Plant

Congressional Delegates Beg For Desal Plant

by The Editors on October 4, 2007

070620-Split-Ekj-DesalAccording to the North County Times San Diego’s five congressional delegates have gotten together and sent a letter California Coastal Commission begging them to approve the Carlsbad Desalination Plant when they meet Nov. 15, 2007 on the project.

The letter states that the plant would enable the county to “pursue a water diversification strategy” to complement conservation and reclamation efforts. It was signed by Darrell Issa, R-Vista; Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach; Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon; Bob Filner, D-San Diego; and Susan Davis, R-San Diego. . . It also suggests that the plant would reduce pressure on the state’s imported water system.

We would like the idea so much more if it wasn’t in our backyard. How about making it part of the Ponto Vision Plan?

[Link: North County Times]

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Surfrider Files Suit On Power Plant Permits

by The Editors on July 12, 2007

Rcs Overview Images EncinapwrAccording to the North County Times, The Surfrider Foundation has filed suit asking the court to force the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control board to reconsider the discharge permit it renewed for Carlsbad’s Encina Power Station in August 2006.

The permit allows the electrical station to suck in ocean water to cool its electricity-generating turbines, and then spit the water back out into the sea. A private company, Poseidon Resources, Inc., and the city of Carlsbad, are proposing to build a plant that would use a portion of the seawater the plant takes in, to filter out the salt and make it drinkable. . . Environmental groups say the “once-through-cooling” system harms the ocean, and that recent court decisions bar their use in the future.

This is the second time the Surfrider Foundation has tried stop the desalination plant in the permitting process.

[Link: North County Times]

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Desalination: The Science Behind The Water

by The Editors on June 30, 2007

Desalination-1Depending on how the permitting process goes, Carlsbad could be home to the world’s largest desalination plant. That all sounds fine, but what does it mean? Luckily for us Amy Westervelt has written a comprehensive story for the Sustainable Industries Journal in which she outlines the process, the politics, and the environmental issues associated with removing fresh water from ocean water.

The waste product created by the desalination process is a briny solution that is twice as salty as the ocean water it comes from. A desalination plant produces 50 million gallons of freshwater for every 100 million gallons of ocean water it takes in, according to Cooley, co-author of a 2006 report entitled “Desalination, with a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective.” Typically, the 50 million gallons of brine created by the desalination process are dumped back into the ocean.

That’s part of the reason that The Surfrider Foundation is fighting the Carlsbad plant. As General Electric’s project moves forward it’s important that we all have a better understanding of exactly what this means for Carlsbad and for the Coast.

[Link: Sustainable Industries]

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RIP: Carlsbad’s Former Mayor Bud Lewis

by The Editors on October 16, 2014

Citizen Of The Year 2009 3-C T352-1Carlsbad’s former mayor Claude “Bud” Lewis died on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, according to announcement on the City of Carlsbad website. He was 83.

Few have done more for the City of Carlsbad than the former Mayor. He served on the Town Council for 40 years (the last 24 of those as Mayor).

“Mayor Lewis embodied the very best of Carlsbad,” said Mayor Matt Hall, who succeeded Lewis in 2010. “He devoted his life to public service and remained committed to the principles of a fair and open local government, accessible to everyone regardless of social or economic status. His values helped shape the city we are today, effectively managing growth to maintain an excellent quality of life, a strong and diverse economy, and an involved citizenry.”

“Mayor Lewis was my teacher first, then my colleague and ultimately my friend,” said Mayor Pro Tem Mark Packard. “He always took the long term view. Whether talking about how to manage growth or address our critical water supply challenges, he laid the groundwork to make sure our city would continue to thrive long after he was gone. That is a sign of a great leader.”

“Mayor Buddy Lewis was a rare politician who won people over while remaining true to himself,” said City Council Member Lorraine Wood, who served as City Clerk during Lewis’ mayoral tenure. “He wasn’t prone to telling people what they wanted to hear, but he told them the truth. He stayed true to the motto that what was right for Carlsbad wasn’t always popular, and what was popular wasn’t always right.”

“Mayor Lewis was a humble man who never forgot his roots,” said Council Member Keith Blackburn. “He was a man of integrity, and he brought that to the office every day, trying to do what was best for Carlsbad, its residents and its businesses.”

“When I served on the Carlsbad Planning Commission, I saw the result of Mayor Lewis’ legacy every day,” said Council Member Michael Schumacher. “He made sure we maintained high standards, and as a result of his hard work he left Carlsbad a better place than he found it.”

Lewis’ wife Beverly (pictured right) died in May of 2011. Our thoughts go out to Mayor Lewis’ family, friends, and the entire city of Carlsbad. For the official word from the City, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]

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Carlsbad Without City Manager Again

by The Editors on November 6, 2013

242096 City Hall Snaps - Birds Split MidWith today’s resignation of Carlsbad City Manager John W. Coates, the city is again operating with an interim city manager (Carlsbad Fire Chief Kevin Crawford get to do it this time around) until the City Council can reportedly “develop a strategy for filling the position.”

“John was called to serve at a critical time of transition for our city organization,” said Mayor Matt Hall. “During the past 12 months, he has accomplished an ambitious agenda, leaving us well positioned to continue on our path of becoming a truly world class city.”

Coates was only officially in the position of City Manager for six months so it would seem that Council would still have a pretty good idea of what they’re looking for when it comes to a City Manager. Buy why rush things. Might as well put it off until February. For the official word from the City, follow the jump. [click to continue…]

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Carlsbadistan Saves NorCal & Colorado’s Water

by The Editors on February 24, 2010

Cali Aqud
Gulp, gulp, gulp. . .

Just a little reminder from the Carlsbad Municipal Water District: thanks for being nice and conserving more than the eight percent that was requested. You know, the water has a long journey to get here and we should treat it well.

Carlsbad relies on water from the Colorado River and Northern California for 100 percent of its supply. California has faced severe water shortages due to a prolonged drought and legal restrictions on water pumped from Northern California. Recent local rain doesn’t help much because most of it runs off into the ocean and cannot be captured for future use.

Thanks, Northern California. Come visit anytime.
[click to continue…]

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Poseidon Get’s $530 Million In Bonds

by The Editors on January 28, 2010

Poseidon Resources Corp, the company that plans to build the desalination plant on the Agua Hedionda lagoon say they were just approved for $530 million in tax exempt bonds from the State of California, according to a story in the North County Times.

The Private Activity Bonds were approved by the California Debt Limitation Allocation Committee. These bonds are used to finance private projects judged to benefit the public. . . Peter MacLaggan, Poseidon’s senior vice president, said in a statement that the bonds’ tax-exempt status means they can sell for a lower interest rate than taxable bonds, lowering the cost of the desalinated water to the buyers.

Isn’t it nice when the Government helps private business?

[Link: North County Times]

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Should Taxpayers Subsidize Poseidon?

by The Editors on November 26, 2009

Poseidon DollarsThat’s the question San Francisco Bay Guardian writer Rebecca Bowe asks in one of the best stories we’ve read about Poseidon Resources plans for their desalination plant on the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon.

“Aside from doing nothing about conservation and continuing to require huge amounts of energy for transmission, these plants also have no real community benefit, minimal job creation, and, most importantly, a questionable success and effectiveness,” members of Service Employees International Union Local 721 wrote in a letter to the Metropolitan Water District, Southern California’s water wholesaler. “We believe we can conserve more water by installing waterless urinals across L.A. County than we would obtain from the proposed desalination plant.”

Those who think they know what this desalination plant is all about should click the link to read the rest of this story.

[Link: San Francisco Bay Guardian]

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Desal Water Could Be Three Times As Costly

by The Editors on November 6, 2009

Poseidon Dollars

According to a report releassd on November 4, 2009 by the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch, the cost of water from Poseidon’s proposed Carlsbadistan desalination plant could cost three times as much as the company has projected.

“Poseidon claims that their Carlsbad desalination water will come at ‘no expense to the region’s taxpayers,’ yet they are counting on Metropolitan Water District ratepayers and taxpayers to underwrite the project,” said Renee Maas, water program organizer for Food & Water Watch. “Policymakers should learn from Poseidon’s failed Tampa Bay facility and only use public funds for effective and responsible projects.”

According to James Fryer, the author of the new report even if things go well costs could still reach $1910 per acre-foot which is twice the $950 claimed by Poseidon.

Cost over-runs and bankruptcy marked Poseidon’s previous foray into the desalination business. The Tampa Bay plant opened over a year behind schedule, and then required immediate rehabilitation. As a result, he project ran 44 percent over projected capital cost and has never produced the 25 MGD originally promised by Poseidon.

Hurray for desal. . . to read the entire report, click here for the PDF.

[Link: Common Dreams]

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Curbing Water Waste: The Demand-side Solution

by The Editors on July 24, 2009

Spigot Cv 20090723165715A new report by the Oakland, California-based Pacific institutes claims the best solution to California’s water problem is to simply curb waste in the Central Valley, according to a post on the Wall Street Journal’s Environmental Capital blog.

What’s interesting about the analysis is just how much the authors think a combination of irrigation technologies and management practices can save: 5.6 million acre-feet in an average year. That’s 17% of all water used by California farmers, and more than twice the total the state’s millions of city-dwellers could save if they wised up about their water use. It’s also a whole lot more than the enormous desalination plant in Carlsbad, Calif. will produce when it comes online.

See what they’re getting at here?

[Link: Environmental Capital]

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