South Orange County water districts team up for possible desalination plant

DANA POINT, Calif. (KABC) -- Some say beneath a stretch of sand at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point lies the potential answer to the drought in south Orange County.

"(It's) an environmentally sensitive way to do this type of project, and it's going to provide a reliable, new source of water," said Christopher Regan with the Laguna Beach County Water District.

Several water districts in the area are teaming up to build a $150 million desalination plant. It would pump in ocean water, remove salt and make it safe to drink through reverse osmosis. It's estimated the plant could provide 15 million gallons of local drinking water a day -- a huge chunk for communities that rely heavily on imported water now.

"That will be roughly 60 percent of Dana Point's and that area's total demand for water by 2020," said Andrew Brunhart, general manager with the South Coast Water District.

The plant uses a "slant well intake system" -- the first of its kind in the state. It means the pipe that sucks in the water goes in at an angle below the ocean floor. This way, no marine life gets hurt in the process, which is a major concern for scientists.

"You have the natural filtration of the sand, below the ocean, protecting any marine life," said Brunhart.

The plant's also mitigating other big issues. The leftovers, or brine, would go to a water treatment center to be diluted before getting dumped back into the ocean.

Solar panels will be installed to offset the huge amount of electricity used. What project officials don't know for sure yet, is how much it'll bump up your monthly water bill.

"No matter what the source, it's going to cost more. And it's not just for the water, again it's for the water service to get it there," said Darcy Burke with the Municipal Water District of Orange County.

More than 25 agencies including the coastal commission still need to approve the plant. The water agencies involved say if all goes well, the plant could begin pumping out water by 2020, and become fully operational by 2025.