huntington beach desalination project · 9/2/2015 · the huntington beach recreational area would...

© POSEIDON WATER 2015 1

Huntington Beach Desalination Project Coastal Commission’s Independent Scientific & Technical Advisory Committee (ISTAP) Findings and Conclusions


Huntington Beach Desalination Project


Huntington Beach – Diagram


WHAT IS A SEAFLOOR INFILTRATION GALLERY?


CONCEPTUAL DESIGN - SIZE


CONCEPTUAL DESIGN - LOCATION

Water Depth at Gallery: Approx. 40’ Deep Distance Offshore: Approx. ~3,000 LF


CONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHTS



Laydown Area Being Used for Material Handling

Pump Station: Located in State Beach

Parking Lot Will Contain 30 Pumps

and Associated Pipe / Electrical Equipment

Parking Lot will be Restored Following Construction; However, Permanent Maintenance Access will be Required



Laydown Area Being Used for Material Handling


Definition of Feasible

The Coastal Act, CEQA and State Water Code (State Water Board) all rely on the same legal definition of feasible: “Feasible means capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, social, and technological factors.”


• Over 15,000 desalination facilities worldwide; there is only one plant that utilizes a Seafloor Infiltration Gallery (SIG) - 13 MGD Fukuoka, Japan plant.

• Japanese plant is one-quarter the size of HB plant and built in the Straight of Korea, an embayment.

• ISTAP concluded that it may be possible to build a SIG using currently available means, however, it’s constructability and maintenance would be “complex” due to Huntington Beach’s high surf zone environment.

Feasible - Technological


• 26 acres of seafloor is required to construct the SIG and the excavation and removal of over half-million cubic yards of native sediments.

• Estimated potential loss of 977 million marine life organism.

• On-going maintenance of the SIG (assuming three-year maintenance cycle) would result in a 20 acre permanent loss of benthic habitat over the life of the Project.

• Operation of SIG will cause long term entrainment effects

• SIG will have increased emissions from construction vehicles and machinery, disturbance of sensitive coastal species, increased local traffic, affect local fishing, and increase the risk of offshore accidents.

Feasible – Environmental


• Huntington Beach was recently named the “Best Beach in the United States” by TIME Magazine thanks to its combination of good beach weather, summer water temperature and accessibility.

• “Surf City USA” and attracts 16 million visitors each year. • Constructing the SIG could take up to 7 years.

• The presence of large-scale industrial construction operations on and adjacent to

the Huntington Beach recreational area would degrade the existing beach and impact public access and recreation and the beneficial use of the Huntington Beach shoreline by the public.

• Potential measurable loss of income to visitor serving businesses and local tax revenue in Huntington Beach.

Feasible – Social / Community


• Capital cost for Poseidon’s proposed project range from $852 to $906 million.

• SIG capital costs range from $1.9 billion to $2.3 billion – roughly $1 billion to $1.5 billion more expensive than Poseidon’s proposed project.

• On a life cycle cost basis, the independent panel found that a project built with a SIG technology is still more expensive on a unit costs basis than the proposed project.

• Based on OCWD’s “Willingness to Pay” per the term sheet with Poseidon, the panel concluded that the unit price for water from a SIG would not be affordable to Orange County until 2045 or later.

Feasible – Economic


• Up to seven years to build a SIG compared to less than 3 years to build Poseidon’s proposed screen ocean intake desalination plant.

• SIG would not be economically feasible for many decades, delaying

project construction for at least 30 years.

• This conclusion clearly does not meet the state feasibility requirement that the project be constructed in a “reasonable period of time.”

Feasible – Reasonable Period of Time

huntington beach desalination project · 9/2/2015 · the huntington beach recreational area would...

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