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Expert panel report leaves California’s desalination future in limbo

Poseidon Water said it intends to resubmit its application for a coastal development permit later this year for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. The company pulled its application for a coastal development permit during a hearing in November 2013. Several California Coastal Commissioners questioned whether adequate studies had been done into the use of subsurface intake pipes.
An area of beach in Huntington Beach where Poseidon has proposed a desalination plant
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Poseidon Water
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Expert panel report leaves California’s desalination future in limbo

The fate of a water desalination plant proposed by Poseidon Water in Huntington Beach remains uncertain after a panel of experts has concluded that it would be too expensive to build it using intake pipes under the sea floor.

That was the approach favored by the California Coastal Commission, whose approval is needed to begin construction. The impasse creates an uncertain future for the proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant.

Read the full story here

Phase 2 Report: Feasibility of Subsurface Intake Designs for the Proposed Poseidon Water Desalination Facility at Huntington Beach, California

Guests:

Robert Sulnick, Executive Director of Orange County Water Independence Sustainability & Efficiency (OC WISE), which supports the development of all forms of new water for Orange County; he consults for Poseidon Water, which is a member of the OC Wise coalition

Ray Hiemstra, associate director of programs at the O.C. Coastkeeper, an environmental group