|
By Barbara Henry
North County Times
October 31, 2007
SAN DIEGO
-- Roughly 250 people packed into a state hearing Tuesday,
many of them arguing that a proposed desalination project in
Carlsbad could help protect this drought-stricken region as it
confronts a dwindling water supply.
The proposed plant could give the area a guaranteed source of
local drinking water and provide a little security for a
region that now depends on the distant Colorado River for
nearly all of its water, said proponents, who included area
water district officials, chamber of commerce leaders and
farmers.
"I believe the water crisis is the most critical issue
facing this region, this state," said Carlsbad Mayor Bud
Lewis, who was accompanied by three of the city's four council
members at Tuesday's State Lands Commission hearing.
Opponents of the desalination project, including local coastal
preservationists and surfers, said they don't oppose the idea
of producing drinking water out of seawater, but they don't
think the design of this plant is best way to do it.
"Here we are with the first one (of what may be many such
plants) and it's one of the worst ones," said Marco
Gonzalez, an environmental lawyer who is active in the local
Surfrider Foundation.
The Encina intake
Poseidon Resources Inc. wants to build the plant within the
Encina Power Station site on the south side of Agua Hedionda
Lagoon. It is proposed to produce 50 million gallons of
drinking water a day from seawater. The salty water would come
from an ocean intake pipe that's already used by the power
plant to cool its equipment.
Carlsbad officials, residents and business people have been
debating the project's merits for several years. Tuesday's
hearing was convened by the State Lands Commission, an agency
that controls the tidal and near-shore regions of California.
The state panel has permit authority over part of the project
because the proposed intake pipe runs across state tidal land.
Commissioners said Tuesday they wanted to make certain the
state didn't sue over the plans, and they added that they
hoped developer Poseidon Resources Inc. would have more
information when the commission returns for a vote in
December.
In particular, commission Chairman John Garamendi, who also is
the state's lieutenant governor, said Poseidon needs to figure
out how it will reduce the carbon dioxide generated by the
plant.
"If you haven't figured (it) out, I suggest you get on it
quickly," Garamendi said to the company's
representatives.
Get right on it
Peter MacLaggan of Poseidon Resources said the company would
do its best, noting that its proposal to be
"carbon-neutral" is something that's pretty new --
both for Poseidon and for the industry.
The proposal calls for the plant to make up for the carbon
dioxide it produces by doing everything from using
environmentally friendly building construction techniques to
improving wetlands habitat.
One recent hurdle that's still being worked out is what
happens if the power plant stops using its ocean intake,
officials said. Encina's owners have submitted plans to the
state to gradually replace its aging power-generating
equipment with generators that are air-cooled rather than
seawater-cooled.
Gonzalez, the environmental attorney, focused on the pipe
issue during his testimony. If the desalination plant will be
the sole user of the pipe, then the commission needs to order
Poseidon to do an additional environmental review, he argued.
Commissioners said they had questions themselves about what
happens if the power station changes its cooling system.
However, they didn't enthusiastically embrace Gonzalez's
proposal.
"That one, we'll ponder," Garamendi said.
Time is precious
Proponents said the panel shouldn't waste the time. Many noted
that the region is facing an extreme drought. Eric Larson,
executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, said
farmers are facing a 30 percent cutback in the agricultural
water program come Jan. 1, and urged the commission to support
the plant to prevent future water shortages.
Others said last week's massive wildfires were reason enough
to have a local water supply close at hand -- San Diego County
now gets most of its water from the Colorado River, which
provides much water to thirsty Southern California and is in
its eighth year of drought.
To the north, drought and endangered fish have meant reduced
deliveries from the other main supply, the State Water
Project. The project includes a 600-mile network of dams,
reservoirs and pipelines that convey snowmelt and rainfall
from the north part of the state to the south.
"Delaying the future of this project is not in the
community's best interest, said Mitch Dion, general manager of
the Rincon del Diablo Water District.
Dion added that his board president couldn't attend --- his
house burned down in the Witch Creek fire.
Even with the commission's backing next month, the project
still has a least one big hurdle to overcome -- it needs a
permit from the state Coastal Commission. That panel is
expected to review the issue in November.
Another hurdle appears to mostly be overcome -- the plant's
developers report that they now have contracts to sell the
water the facility would produce. The city of Carlsbad is one
key buyer and Oceanside's City Council is slated to consider a
purchase deal next month. The company also has worked out
agreements with a variety of smaller water districts in the
region.
|
