Protecting The Environment
“The science has demonstrated the effects of the desalination facility on the marine environment are benign, and in principle, no different than the effects of natural evaporation.”
Scripps Institute of Oceanography
The Huntington Beach Desalination Facility will use state-of-the-art technology – a filtration system that can exceed current water quality and environmental requirements. Consistent with studies at other desalination plants worldwide, this facility is safe for the marine environment.
The local marine environment is particularly suited for this facility. Because of the soft, sandy bottom, the open ocean location, and the lack of any Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS), the absence of fixed habitats (such as rocky substrates or kelp beds) and the mobile nature of the marine life along the coast of Huntington Beach, marine scientists have concluded that this location is better suited than others for a facility such as the Huntington Beach Desalination Facility. Relatively low natural salt levels of the water are also a factor. Even with the addition of concentrated salt water to the ocean, the area immediately surrounding the discharge point is only as salty as the coastline off Baja California.
This is good news for the neighborhood’s marine life. The species found near Huntington Beach are the same as those found in Baja California. They have adapted to the higher salt levels found in Baja and will not be affected by a very small area of saltier water near the discharge pipeline. Also, no bacteria are created or transferred by the water desalination facility. Additional pre-treatment steps will be taken as added insurance.
Because we care about the environment, we at Poseidon Resources will continually monitor and protect the water quality of the local ocean environment. Poseidon is working with state and local regulatory agencies, while also including input from the local Orange County community, to ensure that every safeguard is in place to provide a safe, sufficient water supply.
We are currently working with:
- City of Huntington Beach
- State Lands Commission
- Regional Water Quality Control Board
- California Coastal Commission
- California Department of Health Services
- Other Regulatory Agencies
A comprehensive independent environmental study and review has been conducted by the City of Huntington Beach. Because the Certified Re-circulated Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is technical – and lengthy – Poseidon Resources has created a facility overview and summary. This EIR Study Guide highlights the issues addressed in the Draft Re-circulated EIR for the Huntington Beach Desalination Facility.
If you would like to learn more about the Huntington Beach Desalination Facility and the issues addressed in the Draft Re-circulated EIR please click here to download a pdf of the EIR Study Guide.
Currently, the City of Huntington Beach is conducting a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (DSEIR) to address the modification of the desalination project’s configuration to reflect the current proposed engineering, construction and operation. The DSEIR also addresses the potential environmental impacts if, at a future date, the Huntington Beach Desalination Facility operates as a “stand-alone” facility and no longer uses the seawater discharge from the Huntington Beach Generating Station (i.e. the AES Power Plant). The Huntington Beach City Council will consider certification of the DSEIR later this summer.
In addition to this City certification, Poseidon Resources is seeking permit approval from the State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission.
If the project receives all its required permits by 2011, it could be producing drinking water for Orange County by as soon as 2013
