California Coastal Commission OKs desalination plant in Orange County
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The California Coastal Commission today approved a controversial project to build an advanced desalination plant in the northern part of Orange County. The commission ruled that the project will not significantly damage the environment, and the commission also granted a license to the project’s developer on more than 30 conditions.
The project will be built on a site now occupied by a former oil refining plant and has a total project area of less than seven acres.
The Southern California News Group reported earlier this year that the project was opposed by environmentalists, who said the plant is likely to bring toxic chemicals into nearby waterways and disturb wildlife habitat.
The project will also involve a small fish barrier, which will be built to prevent unwanted animals from entering the site and to filter the water before it is used in agriculture and home reuse.
The facility will be built in a wetland area known as the Great Lagoon, which sits between the ocean and the Pacific Coast. The Lagoon is important to marine life, and the project will be the first use of wetland wetlands for desalination use in the United States.
The construction and operation of this project will support new developments, such as manufacturing facilities, retail retail and hotel use, as well as new residential and commercial projects.
The facility will be located on the site of the former Orange Coast Municipal Water District.
“This project will provide additional needed water resources for our area, while creating opportunities for economic development,” said County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, who oversees the Port of Orange. “It will also create jobs for local residents and businesses.”
In a written order earlier this month, the Coastal Commission found that the project will be consistent with the goals of the California Coastal Act and the California Coastal Resources Commission’s policy guidelines, and ruled that the developer will have all necessary approvals, including an environmental review and Coastal Commission approval.
The project is scheduled to open for construction in the first half of 2014 and will begin operating by the year 2016. It will cost at least $1.8 billion to construct, and it could be an estimated $3.6 billion to operate.
The plant will be the first renewable water desalination facility built in the United States and will
