Post Poseidon: A better blueprint for the future of ocean desalination in California

Future desalination projects should be transparent, environmentally friendly and just, and needed

By Conner Everts

When the California Coastal Commission’s executive director, Jack Ainsworth, gave staff’s final rebuttal to Poseidon Water’s failed plea for approval of its proposed Huntington Beach ocean desalination plant (May 12), he proposed a blueprint that State regulators could use to evaluate future desalination proposals:

“In my view, the State of California needs to conduct a comprehensive siting survey to identify the best locations for future desal facilities around the state, identifying the sites that are safe from sea-level rise, flooding, seismic hazards and are designed to minimize impacts on ocean and coastal resources, and that are sized appropriately for the locations. And, these sites should be prioritized based on the critical need of the new water supplies for a particular area. In addition, all other less environmentally damaging and less expensive water supply alternatives should be explored first, or at least concurrently with desal alternatives.”