Carlsbad desalination plant produces 15 billion gallons of fresh water in first year

[TexasTowelie]

A mere year after opening, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant is seeing enormous success in its efforts to provide water for California in the midst of the state’s multi-year drought.

Opened on Dec. 14 2015, the Carlsbad plant uses the most technologically advanced seawater desalination equipment of any plant in the nation. Pulling water from the Pacific Ocean, it met around 10 percent of San Diego County’s water demands in its first year, producing more than 15 billion gallons of fresh water.

“This plant is a game-changer for San Diego County,” said Mark Muir, chair of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors. “It’s gratifying that this visionary investment our region’s ratepayers strongly supported is paying dividends now, and we expect it to continue to do so for decades to come. Every drop of water we produce locally is a drop that we don’t need to import from outside the region.”

Reverse osmosis is used at the Carlsbad plant, which is then blended with water from other sources. Each gallon of drinking-quality water costs about half a cent to produce.

Read more: http://www.sfexaminer.com/carlsbad-desalination-plant-produces-15-billion-gallons-fresh-water-first-year/

[SHRED]

1. It's a fucking destructive boondoggle corporate welfare

I live near this environmentally destructive pile of crap.
Here's what I've written about it.


Desalination is a scam by the private sector to siphon off even more of our tax dollars and through higher water rates. It pollutes the ocean and kills many ocean creatures plus contributes to greenhouse gases. It is very costly on a lot of fronts and we citizens are on the hook once again. Conservation retrofitting and reclaiming water is far more effective and far less costly in terms of dollars and the environment.

Desal is a ripoff. Our water rates are going to be locked in at a higher rate for the next 30 years to pay for this corporate welfare and we get very little water at extremely high cost. If we had locked rates higher to pay for conservation and reclaimed water use our money would have gone for up to 8 times more efficient use than desal without all the negatives regarding the ocean environment. We would have more water at less cost. Stupid use of money. Our money. Crony capitalism is ugly and we're paying for it with these privatized pet projects. The shareholders of Poseidon are guaranteed a return on their investment through our locked in higher rates. More money from us to line the pockets of the affluent.


"...The water to be produced at the plant costs 4 to 8 times more than other water sources such as groundwater or recycled water. And rate payers are bound to a 30- year contract to buy the water."

http://angeles.sierraclub.org/news/blog/2013/03/desalination_destroys_environment_and_isnt_quick_fix_southern_californias_water

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. One thing I'm wondering about that wasn't addressed in the article:

Does the intake pipe from the ocean suck in quantities of tiny sea organisms? These are food for many fish and killing these tiny creatures can do harm to our wild fish populations.

Do they have some way of mitigating this?

I am aware that power plants that use ocean water for cooling have problems with this.

[SHRED]

4. It was addressed

The company chose the least expensive and most destructive intake.

Poseidon plans to use open ocean intake pipes, which the State of California has required all coastal power plants to discontinue using by 2020. Open ocean intakes suck in and kill billions of fish eggs, adult fish and other marine life. Not only is desalination harmful when taking water in, but also when it expels hyper saline brine, the salt by-product of the desalination process. In addition to a very high concentration of salt, brine also contains other pollutants such as heavy metals that can bioaccumulate throughout the food chain.

http://angeles.sierraclub.org/news/blog/2013/03/desalination_destroys_environment_and_isnt_quick_fix_southern_californias_water

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Thank you!

And I have to say, I'm not surprised at all.

Bastards.

[exboyfil]

3. Here is a nice summary of the process

From what I can make out the CO2 emissions from the process would be equivalent to about 10,000 passenger vehicles.

http://carlsbaddesal.com/Websites/carlsbaddesal/images/Fact_Sheets/Desalination_Process_Fact_Sheets_012916_WEBv4.pdf

[SHRED]

5. I noticed their propaganda pamphlet made no mention

Of marine life killed at the intake and the brine dump damage to the ecosystem at the outfall.

[exboyfil]

6. I noticed that too

They talk about diluting the brine on the outflow side, but how much dilution is necessary?

As you said the inlet side is probably a vast dead zone akin to the cooling input of a nuclear reactor.