Desalination & Southern California

1. Desalination & Southern California Jonas Minton Planning & Conservation League

2. Meeting Southern California water needs • Perspectives on how much we need & where we will get water… • Investment Strategy for California Water • California Water Plan

3. Investment Strategy for California WaterHow much water does California need?

4. Investment Strategy for California Water

5. Needs vs. Potential Yield From Investment Strategy

9. California Water Plan Update

10. California Desalination Task Force • AB 2717 (Hertzberg) called for Task Force to: “Make recommendations related to potential opportunities for the use of seawater and brackish water desalination.”

11. Desalination Task Force Members • League of California Cities (City of Huntington Beach) • Water agencies (Long Beach, Marin, etc.) • Coastal Commission • Department of Water Resources • EPA • Department of Health Services • Energy Commission • Environmental Groups (Surfriders) • Consumer advocacy groups (Clean Water Resources) • Industry Interest

12. Desalination Task Force • Findings: • Seawater desalination is more energy intensive than brackish water desalination or water recycling • Desalination using reverse osmosis technology require ~ 30 % more energy than existing interbasin supply systems currently delivering water to parts of Southern California • Recommendation: • Compare reasonable benefits, costs & environmental impacts for desalination with other water supply alternatives available

13. Task Force Findings: Cost • Cost for new seawater desalination will range from $700 to $1,200 per af plus distribution costs • Figures based on subsidized energy costs of $0.05 per kWh • Currently energy costs range from $0.08 to $0.13 kWh, adjusting estimated costs upward by $150 to $350 per acre-foot. Therefore costs are likely to be well over $1000 per acre-foot

14. Desalination Task Force • Findings: • Brackish water desalination, beach well intakes and screened intakes minimize environmental impacts • Recommendation: • Ensure seawater desalination projects avoid, reduce or minimize impingement, entrainment & other environmental impacts

15. Desalination Task Force • Findings: • State regulatory agencies have indicated that co-located & new desalination intakes will require current assessment of entrainment & impingement impacts • Recommendation: • Complete a current assessment of entrainment & impingement impacts as part of the environmental review & permitting process

16. Desalination Task Force • Findings: • Once through cooling technology has well-documented environmental impacts on marine organisms • Co-locating may provide justification for the continued use of once-through cooling • Recommendation: • Analyze the impacts of the desalination facility operations apart from the operations of the co-located facilities.

17. Desalination Task Force • Findings: • The involvement of private companies in the ownership and/or operation of a desalination plant raises unique issues. • Recommendation: • Private desalination project developers & plant operators should be required to fully disclose the same information as a publicly owned facilities

18. Desalination Task Force • Findings: • Growth inducing impacts of any new water supply project, including desalination, must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis • Recommendation: • Environmental reviews should ensure that growth related impacts of desalination projects are properly evaluated.

19. Other Recommendations • Evaluate desalination based upon adopted community approved plans that integrate regional planning, growth and water supply/demand projections • Ensure adequate public involvement beginning early in the conception and development of desalination projects and continuing throughout planning, design and evaluation processes

20. Is Poseidon's Desalination Project consistent with the Recommendations of the Desalination Task Force?

21. Poseidon Proposal • Task Force Recommendation: • Ensure seawater desalination projects avoid, reduce or minimize impingement, entrainment, & other environmental impacts • Poseidon Project • Using unscreened open ocean intake from Power Plant

22. Poseidon Proposal • Task Force Recommendation: • Complete a current assessment of entrainment and impingement impacts as part of the environmental review & permitting process • Poseidon Project • Using temporary assessment granted to the Power Plant that did not thoroughly assess impingement or entrainment

23. Poseidon Proposal • Task Force Recommendation • Analyze the impacts of the desalination facility operations apart from the operations of the co-located facilities • Poseidon Project • Did not analyzed impacts if power plant closes

24. Poseidon Proposal • Task Force Recommendation • Compare reasonable benefits, costs & environmental impacts for desalination with other water supply alternatives available to that area • Poseidon Project • Recycling, conservation & groundwater treatment not assessed as alternatives to desalination

25. Poseidon Proposal • Task Force Recommendation • Environmental reviews should ensure that growth related impacts of desalination projects are properly evaluated • Poseidon Project • Did not analyze growth inducing impacts

26. Poseidon Proposal • Task Force Recommendation • Evaluate desalination based upon adopted community plans that integrate regional planning, growth & water supply/demand projections • Poseidon Project • Project not proposed for meeting needs of City of Huntington Beach

27. What you can do • Ask the City to require an adequate EIR • Require a realistic assessment of water costs with unsubsidized energy • Require project proponents to complete a current assessment of impingement & entrainment impacts

28. What you can do • Require project proponents to analyze environmental impacts if power plant closes • Require project proponents to accurately analyze growth inducing impacts • Ask those who would get water from Huntington Beach to fully implement conservation, recycling & groundwater treatment