Massive California Plant Emerges as Test For Desalination

Water officials in California have approved a $320 million desalination plant north of San Diego, an ambitious project that would pump 100 million gallons of seawater daily and become one of the largest plants outside the Middle East. Poseidon Resources’ plant, which would be built in Carlsbad, Calif., would provide 50 million gallons of drinking water to nine municipal water agencies — filling 10 percent of San Diego County’s drinking water needs — by 2011. Numerous environmental groups, concerned with the potential threats to fish and ocean ecosystems, have challenged the project. But this week, it was approved by the last of four agencies required for permitting. While numerous other desalination plants are being discussed across California, experts predict the Carlsbad project will become a test case for desalination technology in the U.S. “I think there’s going to be some hesitancy to really expand desalination until this plant is up and running,” said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, a research group based in Oakland.