California Coastal Commission votes down Huntington Beach desal project

(CN) — In defiance of Governor Gavin Newsom and amid a historic drought, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to prevent the construction of a desalination plant in Huntington Beach that aimed to augment the state’s water supply. 

While the commissioners acknowledged that desalination plants are a viable and likely necessary part of California’s water supply portfolio, they said the project as proposed was inappropriate. 

“For desal to be the right choice, it has to be cost-effective and environmentally sound,” said Meagan Harmon, one of the commissioners. “They have to be compliant with the Coastal Act.”

Poseidon Water, a subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, proposed the construction of a plant capable of processing 50 million gallons per day on an industrial site near the Huntington Beach Power Plant. 

The Coastal Commission staff recommended denying the permit, saying the project failed to adhere to its recently updated sea level rise guidance while having a severe impact on the marine life in proximity to the plant without sufficient mitigation. 

“It is the wrong project, in the wrong place and at the wrong time,” said Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth. “It is in a very vulnerable place.”

The proposed project is close to the shore and is located in the former floodplain of the Santa Ana River, meaning the site could be subject to frequent flooding. 

EJ Moore, an attorney who argued for the proposed project, said Poisedon was willing and able to orient the site to withstand flooding, tsunamis and earthquakes. 

“The need for this project is critical and without question,” Moore said. “California is at an inflection point regarding water.”

Newsom agreed, sending representatives to express support for the project. In an interview with the Bay Area News Group in April, Newsom said opposing the project was being “dumb as we want to be.”

“We need more tools in the damn toolkit,” he said. 

California’s water supply issues are severe. Lake Shasta, the largest reservoir, is at 38% of its capacity and the snowpack, which provides water throughout California’s dry summers is at similarly low levels.

The drought in the American West is also profound. The Colorado River Basin, which supplies water to San Diego, is also drying up, with Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two major reservoirs on the lower stretch of the river, coming in at record low levels. 

But commissioners were unconvinced those problems were significant enough to warrant a project that had such grave environmental concerns while being susceptible the possibility of rising seas. 

“It’s a not good location,” said Mike Wilson, another commissioner. 

But project proponents noted the Santa Ana Regional Water Control Board had approved the project, as had the state lands commission. 

“Please give us the benefit of the doubt,” said Steve Sheldon of the Orange County Water District, asking for approval of the project. 

Other proponents included labor union members, who noted that the project would create short-term construction jobs and long-term facility jobs at the site. 

“We are talking about 2,000 construction union jobs and 72% of our membership is of color,” said Jack Hanna, a local worker. 

But the social justice aspect of it was complicated as a UCLA study found that the construction project would spike rates for water users in the community, with the potential to hurt low-income ratepayers in the community. 

Furthermore, more than 200 people showed up to the meeting and gave public comments during the nearly 10-hour meeting, the overwhelming majority of whom requested the coastal commission deny the project. The people in attendance broke into wild applause after the vote was taken. 

California has 12 desalination plants currently, and aside from the Huntington Beach desalination plant, there are three other proposals for desalination plants, two of which are in Southern California. 

“I hope this is the beginning of the success of these kinds of projects,” said Chair Donne Brownsey. 

The several commissioners who said they oppose this specific desalination plant but support the concept of desalination will be afforded the opportunity to prove it in the near future. 

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