Sierra Club Continues to Fight the Doheny Desalination Project in OC

Posted on 4 November 2022
By Jonathan Howard, Communications Coordinator

In mid-October, less than six months after rejecting a proposal for a massive desalination plant in Huntington Beach (Poseidon), the California Coastal Commission approved—with conditions— the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project near the PCH and San Juan Creek in Dana Point.

The commission’s approval of a coastal development permit allows the local water utility to move forward with its plans to build the plant intended to provide even more water to a city that already uses too much water per capita per day - 142 GPD and at what cost?

Water from desalination plants can be far more expensive for ratepayers than water from other sources and a detriment to the environment. It takes two gallons of seawater to make a gallon of fresh water, which means the gallon left behind is a super-salty brine that is harmful to marine life. The process is also very energy intensive, and since plants often rely on fossil fuels, they contribute to global warming.

Sierra Club policy sees desalination as a last resort, we cannot mitigate our way out of continued marine life impacts, (think over the period of a plant typically 50 years), arguing that South Coast Water District (SCWD) would better serve ratepayers and the environment by investing in water conservation, stormwater capture and increased capacity of their 3 water recycling plants.

An example of irrigation runoff waste in Orange County (2022)

Example 2 (2019). Chronic runoff has gone unchecked by SCWD for years with little done to educate customers on water conservation.

The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Water Committee has been hard at work opposing the construction of the Doheny Desalination plant. It’s organized monthly meetings, turned out speakers for public comment, submitted a white paper to the CCC, and is on record with the press multiple times about why we do not need more desalination plants.

Club activists are now gearing up for the State Lands Commission, where there will be another opportunity to have our voices heard on the Environmental Justice aspects of the project, of which there are several concerns, including how the project will impact coastal access with Doheny State Beach Campgrounds set to close for the duration of construction (18-24 months), massive beach degradation, insufficient tribal consultation, and continued focus on lack of investment in reducing water waste through conservation. The deadline for input is November 18, 2022.

“We are grateful that the CCC Staff and Commissioners did take into account our concerns in stipulating the conditions for the building of this project, however, we cannot ignore the fact that particularly in this area this water is not needed, when SCWD has no plans to implement stormwater capture and reduce their daily water consumption," said Chamring Evelyn, Chair of the Angeles Chapter Water Committee. "Why would anyone in South OC have the incentive to change their water use habits when water is so abundant?”

Header image: Rendering of the proposed Doheny desal plant at Dana Point

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Comments

Laurie Tsitsivas (not verified)

November 9, 2022 - 9:24am

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NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES stormwater capture/graywater systems

Desalination, I always hated, but probably it's a needed for the future now that we screwed up so badly (over development and little stormwater capture). I have a lot of concerns with how they'll remove DDT, PFAS and other contaminants. I think Dana Point has done a lot for water recycling, and is setting an example for other local cities. But as you point out, they get a ZERO for runoff control. Stormwater capture begins at home IMO ...with gray water systems and rain barrels, which have not been talked about or incentivized nearly enough state wide. I am interested in both and I am doing the rain barrels. A 50 gallon rain barrel fills up in minutes, and I don't know anyone else using rain barrels here. NO ONE! And what about gray water systems? There are no incentives or information, and a lack of good products and methods available. A few years ago we got rebates on barrels, Since then my good (square, affordable) barrels were discontinued, and prices have doubled and tripled for rain capturing products. I am also concerned about soil health, and the stormwater collection is essential for that.

Colleen silk (not verified)

January 4, 2023 - 7:57pm

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