Leading The Way in New Water Solutions • Volume 3, No. 1, Mar. 2021
Bolsa Chica & Beyond:
Poseidon's enhanced plan for environmental protection
The Bolsa Chica wetlands are the largest restored wetlands complex in Southern California. They serve as a nesting and breeding ground for birds, spawning habitat for fish and a safe haven for many endangered and threatened species. 

State funding for the protection and preservation of the Bolsa Chica wetlands expires this year, but Poseidon Water has prepared an enhanced Marine Life Mitigation Plan (MLMP) building on its previous commitment to protect and preserve the Bolsa Chica wetlands for the life of the desalination plant.

Poseidon’s plan now includes four separate restoration projects inside Bolsa Chica including taking responsibility for the ongoing management of the ocean inlet that is necessary to keep nutrient rich water flowing into the wetlands. In addition to the ocean inlet preservation, Poseidon has proposed to restore vegetation along the Bolsa Chica Intertidal shelf at the northern end of the wetlands and restore areas of the muted tidal basin to ensure enhanced water circulation throughout the basin.
The current, buried reef.
What a healthy reef looks like.
Beyond protecting and preserving Bolsa Chica, Poseidon’s enhanced MLMP now includes restoring over 40 acres of rocky reef off of the coast in Palos Verdes. The natural reef is currently buried by sand and has almost no ecosystem associated to it. Poseidon’s proposal will restore the reef, creating valuable habitat that helps brings that ecosystem back to life.

Collectively, Poseidon’s enhanced MLMP provides over 112 acres of habitat mitigation credit to the region.
Desal in the News
Skeptic Turns Supporter

When the Carlsbad desalination plant was going through its regulatory process, skeptics claimed many of the same negative things we’re hearing now about the Huntington Beach project. Five years after the successful operation of the desal plant, most of fears have turned out to be unfounded and the promises have been fulfilled. Former desal skeptic Cori Schumacher now sees “undeniable value” in desal. Read more here.
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Supporters Join Forces

A coalition of environmental justice, labor, business and taxpayer advocates signed a joint letter to the Governor, encouraging him to strongly support the Huntington Beach Desalination Project. Additionally, Orange County Water District President Steve Sheldon wrote to the Governor noting OCWD’s support for this new drought-proof, climate resilient water supply. You can read the coalition letter here and the OCWD letter here.
Edward Ring, a contributing editor to the California Globe and senior fellow with the California Policy Center, authored an opinion piece noting that objections to desalination are "..shopworn and discredited cliches." Use the link below to read the full article.
Kerry Jackson, a fellow in the Center for California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute, authored an article for the Times of San Diego calling Poseidon's desalination plant in Carlsbad a model for all of California. Use the link to read more.
The Orange County Register understands the value in a drought-proof, climate-resilient water supply. The paper's Editorial Board published an op-ed praising Governor Newsom's support of the Huntington Beach project. To read the full article, click the link below.
Climate change is real. On average, Southern California summers will continue to be drier and hotter and our rainy seasons shorter. The next generation of Californians, many of whom are young Latinx residents that come from disadvantaged circumstances, deserve the same opportunities that the last generation of Californians had. Opportunities like starting a business, or earning a good living in the building trades or service industry. The quality of life of our children and grandchildren is dependent on the investments we make in our water supply today.
 
To that end, Orange County community activist and Labor Federation President Gloria Alvarado has formed Water is a Right, which is an Environmental Justice organization in Orange County dedicated to the pursuit of water, jobs and environmental protection for the next generation of Orange County residents.
 
“We need a new climate-resilient water supply that will protect our families from the next drought,” said Alvarado. 
 
“The technology is here,” said Bobby McDonald, CEO of the Black Chamber of Orange County. “Seawater desalination is not something we should put off to the future. It’s available. It’s affordable. And it will create the water, the jobs and the tax revenue that will benefit all communities.”
 
Learn more at www.waterisaright.org.
Carlsbad Facility Updates
Carlsbad Desal Plant Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
Since it began operating in 2015, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant has produced 50 million gallons of water per day – day in and day out – for five years. Sixty-five billion gallons of drinking water later, there is no doubt about the success of the project. Desal works. 
 
“The desalination plant is a key piece of the region’s multi-decade strategy to diversify our water supply portfolio,” said Sandra L. Kerl, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority.
 
This project provides enough water to meet the needs of about 400,000 San Diego residents, which is 10% of the region’s water needs. It’s San Diego’s primary climate resilient local water supply and is a testament of how communities in California can invest in the state’s future water security.
Workers Volunteer to Shelter in Place at the Plant
When the pandemic hit last year, the first priority for Poseidon Water was to ensure the health and safety of its employees. Second, it was imperative that San Diego County residents and businesses continue to receive the high-quality, climate resilient water supply that had been promised to them.
 
Poseidon was able to assemble a team of mission-critical workers who volunteered to “shelter in place” and not leave the plant for nearly a month during the state’s initial lock-down orders last year. These workers were eventually able to rotate off and a second team of workers took their place. This rotation continued for several months and during that time, not one worker at the desal plant came down with COVID-19 and the plant continued to produce 50 million gallons of drinking water per day without fail.
 
Since that day last spring, the Carlsbad Desalination plant has produced more than ten billion gallons of safe drinking water for San Diego County.
Virtual Carlsbad Desal Plant Tour
One of the most popular and educational features of the Carlsbad Desalination plant are the public tours that provide visitors an in depth look at how seawater is turned into drinking water. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the tours have been put on temporary hiatus. But more people than ever can take the tour and now you can do it from the comfort of your own living room. By clicking on this YouTube link, you can get a virtual tour of the desalination plant and not only see the inner workings of the plant, but also get a look at how the desalination process works through animations and artwork.
 
The one thing we can’t replicate on the virtual tour is the taste of the water after it goes through the desal process. Hopefully we’ll be able to resume the in-person tours later this year and when we do, the taps will be open!
JOIN US FOR A LIVE TOUR!
Join us for a LIVE Virtual Tour of the Carlsbad Seawater Desalination Plant this Thursday, March 16 at noon. Simply click the link below to get the link and set a reminder to join the live tour.
For more information about this project, please contact:

Brian Lochrie
Phone: 949-294-8269 (call or text)
Poseidon Water is a water project development company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. We identify, plan, finance, develop, own and manage large water infrastructure projects.