California nixes plant, but says open to desalination

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — California officials have nixed a proposal for a $1.4 billion desalination plant but say they’re open to growing the state’s capacity to turn Pacific Ocean seawater into drinking water to buffer against persistent drought.

After an hours-long hearing, members of a state coastal panel on Thursday unanimously rejected a proposed desalination plant for Southern California over concerns the facility would kill marine life and drive up the cost of water.

The vote by the California Coastal Commission, which is tasked with protecting the state’s scenic shoreline, dealt a blow to the long-running proposal by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners-owned Poseidon Water. The plan had the backing of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in his push to combat drought conditions plaguing the state, which are expected to worsen with climate change. But commissioners weren’t convinced and said the plant would damage marine ecosystems and make water too pricey in an area of California that has other cheaper and more environmentally sound water sources including a renowned wastewater recycling program.

“Our decision today is not about desal generally on the California coast,” Commission Vice Chair Caryl Hart said during deliberations late Thursday. “We don’t automatically say ‘We need oil, therefore we should approve every offshore oil proposal before us.’” Likewise, we need water; we need to be thoughtful,” she said. “We would not blindly approve offshore drilling, neither should we approve this desal project when it is clear that what is proposed is far more damaging and violates the laws that Californians broadly supported and support more than ever today.”

Newsom has declared desalination, which takes ocean water and removes salt and other elements to make it drinkable, a key tool to addressing drought. The state already has other seawater desalination projects approved, including the country’s largest facility in nearby San Diego County, which was built by Poseidon.