SAN DIEGO – It took the California government more than 18 years to approve a desalination plant.
The week before, the California Coastal Commission approved the Dana Point Doheny Ocean Desalination Project, which is located between Oceanside and Long Beach.
The project will provide up to 5 million gallons of drinking water per day to local communities.
According to authorities, the plant will improve drought tolerance in Southern California.
In these over 18 years, the South Coast Water District (SCWD) has carried out research, studies, dissemination and development.
Finally, on Thursday it received unanimous approval of the development permit for the Doheny ocean desalination project.
Commission chairwoman Donna Brownsey said she sees “this project as the model that I hope all candidates aspire to.”
However, the Deputy Director of the Coastal Commission, Kate Hucklebridge, said that while the project is “well planned”, it is not without environmental impacts.
The commissioners added four changes to the 16 special project conditions already identified.
The changes include the further continuation of the disadvantaged communities study, the consideration of solar energy as part of the modernization of the field, and the preference for local offsets to the extent available and feasible.
SCWD CEO Rick Shintaku has accepted the changes.
The official said the district “strives to be recognized as a premier water district second to none for customer service, reliability, environmental management and organizational excellence.”
The district had to work with dozens of federal, state and municipal agencies, as well as environmental organizations and members of affected communities to get the positive result.
For California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, the Coastal Commission decision is another step towards expanding desalination to meet needs in a warmer, drier climate.
The official said that with 1,100 miles of coastline, California needs to desalinate seawater where it is convenient and appropriate for its environment.
This, he added, is to ensure the supply of clean water for decades to come and help communities adapt to climate change.
Crowfoot said the state government plans to launch other major desalination projects in the coming months.
The coastal development permit is the second of three main permits required before the district board of directors determines the next steps towards implementing the project.
Now, the District must rent the state-owned land where the plant will be built.
When the project is fully approved to move forward, the District must continue with the design, construction, operation and maintenance processes.
The Doheny Ocean desalination project would create new, reliable, local and drought-resistant water, officials said.
The project would also provide emergency water supplies in the event that the imported water supply is cut off due to earthquakes or other natural disasters.
The proposed facility’s location between Pacific Coast Highway and Stonehill Drive along San Juan Creek is within 100 yards of existing regional transmission lines.
SCWD will build the facility on land it already owns.
The infrastructure for the project already exists through the Joint Regional Water Supply System to distribute desalinated water to SCWD and South Orange County customers.
In this way, the agency will be able to reduce construction costs and impacts.
The facility would have a capacity of up to 5 million gallons per day (MGD).
SCWD provides drinking water, recycled water and wastewater services to approximately 35,000 residents, 1,000 businesses and 2 million visitors annually in South Orange County.
SCWD’s service area includes the communities of Dana Point, South Laguna Beach and the San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano areas.
Last August, Governor Gavin Newsom released his plan to combat climate change and drought in the state.
The president launched the project during a visit to the brackish Antioch desalination plant.
The plan includes four strategies: rain storage, recycling and reuse, conservation and desalination of the sea and groundwater.
