(Photo: A rendering of the proposed Carlsbad desalination plant. Courtesy Public Policy Strategies, Inc. )
A plan to build a desalination plant in Carlsbad recently cleared a key hurdle. But, as KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce tells us, there's a long regulatory road ahead before we taste that first drop.
The $300 million Carlsbad desalination plant would be the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Poseidon Resources says its plant would convert seawater to 50 million gallons of drinking water a day.
The plant uses a reverse osmosis process to remove the salt. The saltier byproduct is then sent back out to the ocean. Environmental groups say the process of sucking in and releasing seawater harms marine life.
Joe Geever is with Surfrider Foundation in Los Angeles. He says there are better methods to use.
Geever : We've supported looking into sub-sea floor intakes and other alternatives. So that you can build an environmentally, a relatively environmentally-benign desal plant that would resolve a lot of the concerns about marine life mortality.
Surfrider, San Diego Coastkeeper , and other groups recently lost a challenge over a discharge permit the plant was granted.
Poseidon Resources spokesman Scott Maloni says the discharge does not affect marine life.
Maloni : It was determined through the environmental impact report that there'd be no significant impacts, both at the intake and the outfall side of the project. The discharge permit that was issued by the regional water quality control board also determined that the plant could be operated with no significant impacts to the marine environment.
The desal plant faces several regulatory steps before construction could begin. The company needs a permit and lease from the California Lands Commission to build on state land next to the Encina power station. The last step would be approval from the state coastal commission.
Environmental groups plan to contest the project every step of the way. Poseidon spokesman Maloni says the company is confident they'll get the necessary approvals and permits. He says construction could start by summer 2008.
Ed Joyce, KPBS News.
