Press Release
Orange County Coastkeeper: Garry Brown, Executive Director, (714) 850-1965,
Orange County Coastkeeper
03/14/2012
The Surfrider Foundation, Residents for Responsible Desalination, Orange County Coastkeeper and Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation have appealed a decision by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to grant a permit for the proposed Poseidon-Huntington Ocean Desalination plant. The appellants believe the Regional Board failed to properly interpret and apply the law to protect marine life from the destructive impacts that would result from the operation of the proposed Poseidon Huntington Beach desalination facility. The Regional Board has the option of accepting or denying the appeal and must respond within 120 days.
Poseidon had originally intended to use the seawater discharged from the daily operation of the Huntington Beach AES power plant to produce desalinated drinking water. However, in 2010, after years of discussion and resolutions from the Ocean Protection Council and the State Lands Commission urging action, the Regional Board implemented a strict policy phasing out “once through cooling” at power plants throughout the state due to its destructive impacts on marine life. A similar Policy on Desalination is expected in January, 2013. With the phase out of AES’ once-through cooling system by 2020, Poseidon will become responsible for all marine life mortality if it continues operation of the existing system – a fact that the Regional Board did not correctly analyze or account for.
“The Poseidon proposal, and the Regional Board’s approval of the facility flies in the face of the State’s efforts to eliminate marine life mortality from industrial withdrawals of seawater,” stated Joe Geever, Surfrider Foundation’s Water Programs Manager. “We’re certain Poseidon’s plan does not comply with the law, and will not comply with the State’s pending guidelines on how to best locate and design seawater desalination facilities.”
The co-petitioners believe there is no choice but to challenge the permit under existing laws until the state’s policy on ocean desalination is completed later this year. “We’re local residents and ratepayers who care about the quality of life in our neighborhood.” says Merle Moshiri, President of Residents for Responsible Desalination. “Poseidon and the Regional Board have ignored our concerns so we are left with no other choice but to do whatever it takes to protect the people in our community and our precious coast and ocean.”
Over the years, there has been one lawsuit, and several administrative appeals made against the proposed plant in Huntington Beach. In two of the appeals, the Coastal Commission raised substantial issues, but has yet to set a date for a hearing because Poseidon failed to complete the application for a Coastal Development Permit from the Coastal Commission. Poseidon’s management team has refused to provide full information in their applications and missed deadlines for permit renewal. This forced them to file for the same permits twice, which in turn forced the community to respond multiple times.
“Poseidon can attack the community for exercising our right to make sure the law is properly enforced. But they don’t appear to offer any evidence to the claim that our appeal isn’t raising legitimate concerns that must be resolved before the plant is permitted and built. They didn’t voluntarily fix the problems with the project site and design — so it’s our responsibility to make sure that it is resolved,” states Geever.
While this appeal works its way through the system, the groups are actively advocating for less expensive alternatives to provide a local and reliable water supply that saves ratepayers money, and improves rather than degrades the environment. Orange County Coastkeeper Executive Director, Garry Brown, points out that, “Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System is already reusing 70 million gallons a day of wastewater that has been purified to drinking water quality, and soon will expand the plant by an additional 30million gallons a day. That’s safe, affordable and local water that would have otherwise been wasted by discharging it to the ocean.”
The Surfrider Foundation, Coastkeeper and others are actively working with water agencies and homeowners to retrofit local landscapes to dramatically reduce irrigation demand and eliminate polluted runoff from our homes by capturing rain water on site. “There are a number of desirable changes we can make to the way we manage our water that will not only ensure a local and reliable water supply, but simultaneously reduce ocean pollution, and restore coast and ocean habitat and wildlife populations” said Sara Kent of the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation.
“We believe that ocean desalination is too expensive and too damaging to the environment and, as such, it should be an ‘option of last resort,’” said Garry Brown, of OC Coastkeeper. “Before saddling the ratepayers with ocean desalinated water from an out-of-state, private, for profit water purveyor, local water agencies should prioritize other less expensive and multi-benefit alternatives.”
“We think this Poseidon proposal is not only bad for ratepayers, it’s the worst possible water supply project for our environment. At the very least, these proposed facilities have to meet the mandates of California law to protect our precious marine life,” said Moshiri, speaking for all the organizations.
Communications Consultant Lola Dvorak supports CCKA’s strategic communications by helping waterkeepers tell their stories.
