United States

‘Environmental justice’ starts by providing more water – California

Environmentalists have won the latest battle in California’s water wars, as California American Water just announced it is temporarily withdrawing its application to build a desalination plant on an old sand mine in the largely low-income town of Marina near Monterey.

The proposal faced a tough approval process at the California Coastal Commission after local activists complained about its effects on their community.

In a recent article, the Los Angeles Times asked this loaded question in its headline: “Is California serious about environmental justice? This water fight is a test.”

Conservationists Split Over Poseidon Desal Project’s Potential to Help Bolsa Chica Wetlands – California

Along a Huntington Beach coastline dotted with oil rigs and a power plant, one of California’s largest remaining saltwater marshes has been a source of pride for local environmentalists.

But the marsh, known as the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, is endangered despite a years-long struggle to pull together sufficient public funding for its upkeep.

Nearby, the Poseidon Water Co., which has been in a decades-long, controversial fight to build a seawater desalination plant next to the AES energy station at the south end of the city, has justified its project partly with a promise to finance the wetlands’ conservation.

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California Coastal Commission must halt unjust, destructive Monterey desalination plant – California

As two mayors of color, we oppose a desalination project that would impose environmental injustice and economic racism on the people of Seaside and Marina in Monterey County.

The California Coastal Commission will vote on Thursday whether to approve a desalination plant being forced on the Monterey Peninsula by California American Water (Cal-Am).

The Monterey Peninsula does not want or need this oversized, overpriced groundwater desalination plant. We have a far more cost-effective solution for our future water needs in expanding our new recycled water project — Pure Water Monterey (PWM).

Water recycling project fits needs on Monterey Peninsula – California

Expansion of the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project is the best option for the Monterey region to meet its future water supply needs.

Unfortunately, California American Water Co., a private water supplier, is discrediting the project in the hopes of instead getting approval for their much more costly, oversized and environmentally harmful groundwater desalination project to be built in, around and through the city of Marina.

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McComb: Passage for first loan for Desal Plant will result in ‘no increase’ to your water bill – Texas – United States

On August 25, Corpus Christi City Council members voted to accept a loan from the Texas Water Development Board to execute the next step in building a Seawater Desalination Plant.

Mayor Joe McComb announced via Facebook that this loan is not to build a plant and will result in no increase to your water bill.

Despite a heated debate during the City Council meeting, there were enough council members who voted (6-3) in favor of pursuing an $11.4 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board.

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Poseidon’s Huntington Beach desalination plant still in choppy waters – California

As Poseidon Water pursues the final government approvals needed to build one of the country’s biggest seawater desalination plants.

The company still cannot definitively say who will buy the 50 million gallons a day of drinking water it wants to produce on the Orange County coast.

That’s one of several questions that continue to dog the $1-billion Huntington Beach project as Poseidon tries to seal an iron-clad deal more than two decades after it first proposed the ocean desalter.

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UA developing efficient system to purify waste water – Arizona

Using a grant of $500,000, the team of researchers is developing a solar-powered desalination system that combines several types of technologies to recover water from these concentrated waste streams.

The grant comes from the Department of Energy’s Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment.

The process uses less energy at a lower cost, and it could provide more water for resource-scarce inland regions such as Arizona.

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Santa Barbara Council Accepts $10 Million Matching Grant to Operate Desalination Plant – California

The Santa Barbara City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to accept a $10 million grant — with the understanding that it will run the plant at full capacity for at least 36 out of the next 40 years.

Some environmentalists objected to the council’s decision, citing environmental concerns.

The city was awarded a $10 million matching grant in 2018 from the California Department of Water Resources for the reactivation of the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant, 525 E. Yanonali St.

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ECU researchers receive $1.4 million grant to develop desalination system – United States

Converting seawater into clean water will be the focus of a team from East Carolina University, thanks to a grant through the University of North Carolina’s Research Opportunities Initiative.

The $1.4 million grant will go toward the development of a no-waste, sustainable water desalination system. It is the first time that an ECU-led team has received an ROI grant since the program began in 2014-15.

Kura Duba, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and the principal investigator for the grant, said “It is a very prestigious award and we as a team are very, very grateful and thankful to the UNC System.”

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Infrastructure investments protect community’s water supply – Colorado

Smart investments can help communities weather tough times, so when drought conditions hit the Colorado River Basin in 2000, the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) joined local water agencies to invest in forward-thinking plans and programs to protect Southern Nevada’s water supply.

Engineering a deep-water solution, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and its member agencies, including the LVVWD, initiated the engineering design and construction of a 24-foot diameter intake tunnel and Low Lake Level Pumping Station to ensure 2.2 million Southern Nevadans maintained access to their drinking water.

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