CLUB OPPOSES HUNTINGTON BEACH'S POSEIDON DESALINATION PLANT

We live at a time when the symptoms of global warming are prevalent in our changing environment: ice caps and glaciers are melting; sea levels are rising; national parks and wildlife refuges are at risk—there are a host of issues that we all have a shared responsibility in addressing not just for us, but for all life, and the planet itself.
Climate change changes coastlines and California’s fragile, yet threatened coastline is particularly susceptible to the devastating effects of global warming. Not only is our coastline threatened by rising seas and changing, unpredictable weather patterns but also by a multitude of environmental stresses including habitat fragmentation, overharvest of resources, invasive plant and animal species, and pollution.
It is essential, therefore, as we campaign to reverse climate change to also work to improve the resilience California’s coastal ecosystem by protecting resources that mitigate the effects of climate change, like wetlands, and decreasing the stressors like those listed above.
If we are to effectively deal with climate change, it is critical that we advocate for protection of comprehensive ecosystems that extend beyond the boundaries of any one protected area because future ecosystems are likely to be quite different than they are today.
Sierra Club’s opposition to the irresponsible Huntington Beach Poseidon desalination plant exemplifies this integration because not only does this proposal exacerbate global warming, it harms fragile coastal wetlands and coastal resources as well. What makes this project particularly foolish is that there are other, smarter solutions to meeting Southern California’s water needs. Depleting water supply has become a handy tool that companies use to promote the “quick fix” of providing more drinking water through desalination of ocean water while glossing over its negative consequences. Although responsible desalination is an alternative worth scrutinizing, it is not a long-term solution to California’s water issues; and, at present, most certainly not efficient when you consider the amount of energy needed to run the facilities, the damage it causes to the marine environment and its urban sprawl inducing consequences.
The prospect of large, polluting desalination plants is even more ominous when we have local examples of where conservation and water recycling have proven to be a better, cheaper and less environmentally damaging alternative. Just recently, Orange County Water and Sanitation Districts won 2008 Stockholm Industry Water Award, for their extraordinary water purification technology. Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) system diverts highly treated sewer water that is currently discharged into the ocean and purifies it through a series of advanced techniques: microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection and hydrogen peroxide. The cleaned water is returned to the groundwater basin to increase both water supply and quality—establishing a blueprint for large-scale wastewater purification that is already being emulated in dry regions and nations.
Before California rushes to embrace the “quick fix” of desalination plants let’s first ensure that communities embrace conservation; water recycling, and improved landscaping and irrigation practices that give us the opportunity to learn from and re-create the natural processes of the planet. As observed by the Surfrider Foundation Regional Manager Joe Geever, let’s harness the already natural filtering abilities of coastal wetlands to capture storm-water which can recharge our groundwater for beneficial use. After all not only do wetlands naturally cleanse the water before it reaches the ocean but also provide open space and wildlife habitat where residents can enjoy the peace and tranquility of nature in an otherwise hectic urban life. To learn more about desalination go to www.desalresponsegroup.org. For more information about how you can help protect California’s fragile, yet threatened coastline send an e-mail to vazrig.sabounjian@sierraclub.org.