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Local and Environmental Opposition To Desal Plant Ignored

• With no buyer for its water after 21 years, Governor Newsom joins Poseidon Partners in ignoring local and environmental opposition to the risky and destructive HB desalination project. Read the LA Times article for details here.

Regulators Acknowledge Likely Impropriety

• Santa Ana Water Quality Control Board member, Letitia Clark, who was recently appointed in a controversial move by Governor Newsome, was forced to acknowledge possible illegal discussions with pro-Poseidon supporters before she was appointed. Details and opportunities for public comments can be found here.

Regulators Illegally Contacted

• OCR published an article by Martin Wisckol about an illegal action by a pro-Poseidon Newsom appointee with the goal of influencing regulators to approve the costly and controversial HB desalination project. The full article can be found here.

Governor and Poseidon

• Garry Brown has a great opinion article regarding Governor Newsom’s support of Poseidon verses his Water Resilience Portfolio. Article can be found here.

Poseidon Delays Again

• Poseidon’s poor management happens again. Poseidon asks the Regional Water Board to hold off on addressing their permit. See the press release here.

Poseidon needs current OCWD board members.

• Martin Wisckol article in OCR highlights that making sure two OCWD board members remain is the only way for the desal plant to go through.

Reasons To Oppose Desal

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Reasons to Stop Poseidon

• Ray Hiemstra wrote this great article for Sierra Club about why Poseidon does not make sense. He also requests everyone go to the campaign site and plan to participate at the July 31 hearing. 

Water Usage Down 25%

• OCWD water usage down 25% compared to 2000.
  

SARWCB Questions Need for Poseidon

• Martin Wisckol from Orange County Register summarized the SARWCB Poseidon Workshop here. Board Member William von Blasingame had the following to say to OCWD/Poseidon.

  It looks like you don’t have a home for this water.   You’re going to scrounge around for a home. And if you don’t find it, you’re going to inject it into the ground.

Timeline of Newsom and Poseidon

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Status In Carlsbad

• Great presentation to the CCC by Mandy Sackett

SD Desal Lesson to OC

• Marco Gonzalez has a great commentary in the SD Union Tribune.

  You don’t have to look too far for proof that Poseidon will be an unreliable partner.

California Could Have Stored Abundant Water Underground

• Newsdeeply has a great article about storing water during rainy years.  See it here.

  California has much more potential to store water underground in aquifers than in surface reservoirs. The state should be focused on this opportunity for future years, writes scientist Mohammad Safeeq.

Future of Desal in CA

• Interesting Article by Tony Davis.

  The future of coastal desalination in California could be determined by the decision on permits for a plant in Huntington Beach

The Ocean Isn’t the Answer in California

• Justin Fox posted an article on Bloomberg View about why desal does not make sense.

  Whenever there’s a drought in California, a seemingly obvious source of new water supply beckons. The state abuts a giant ocean. Why not just take the salt out of some of that seawater? It’s the high-tech, forward-looking thing to do, right? It’s also the really expensive thing to do.

  Read more here.

New Stanford Report: Desal Location is Key

• New Report from Stanford highlights the imports that the location of a desalination plant is critical for its overall success.  Key among these are:

  1. Easy access to renewable engine
  2. Ability to use subsurface intake
  3. Availability of other water supplies

  Article can be found here.

Managing Drought: Learning from Australia

• A new report shows strategies developed and mistakes made during Australia’s decade-long millennium drought provide a powerful resource for California, as the state enters its fifth year of severe drought.  The report can be found here.

South OC has little demand for Desal Water

• South Orange County has to import most of their water, but not too interested in expensive desal water.  Orange County Water District General Manager Michael Markus said the South Coast Water District plans to build a plant at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point that was expected to produce 15 million gallons of desalinated water per day.  However, Kennedy said
  

  [Doheny Desal] expected production was cut to 5 million gallons per day because of a lack of interest from surrounding water agencies

  The LA Times article can be found here.

Fact-Checked:SD Desal Water Dumped in Lake

• The Voice Of San Diego has a great article about the misleading (possibly lie) Scott Maloni said at an OCWD meeting regarding desal water being dumped in a lake.
  Here is the article