Carlsbad desalination plant helps curb water demands

CARLSBAD, Calif. (KABC) -- A busy construction site located along the coast of Carlsbad could help solve California's serious and historic drought problem.

By fall 2015, the largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere will pump out 50 million gallons of water per day, which will supply San Diego County with nearly 10 percent of its water needs.

The San Diego County Water Authority signed a 30-year water purchase agreement with the plant's developer, Poseidon Water. The project, which will cost $1 billion, takes ocean water and uses reverse osmosis to remove the salt, making the water drinkable.

Robert Yamada, water resources manager at San Diego County Water Authority, said the project couldn't have come soon enough given the demand for water.

"This is the only drought proof supply in San Diego County that is not dependent on rainfall or snow pack. The alternative is no water," said Jessica Jones, assistant project manager for Poseidon Water.

But the water comes at a cost.

Even with the state of the art technology, the process requires a lot of electricity and that doubles the import costs for the water.

Still, the water authority said customers will only see about a $5 increase in their monthly bill.

"When we consider the other new water supplies out there, desalination is right in the same ball park," Yamada said.

Some residents worry that the process could kill off a vital part of the ocean's food chain and others worry about the salty leftovers, or brine, being placed back into the ocean.

But coastal engineers and oceanographers said Poseidon is already mitigating those issues.

"We would not support a project or provide analysis for a project that we felt would hurt the ocean," said Dr. Scott Jenkins, a physical oceanographer from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Even with all the answers the desalination plant can provide on those issues, the water authority wants to remind people that this water is just a small part of the solution.

"Not only desalination, but conservation and recycling and all these work together for our water supply," Yamada said.

Poseidon Water is also in the late stages of development for another plant in Huntington Beach. If the plant is approved, it could be online by 2018.