Heal the Bay Blog

You’re Invited: Town Hall About Desal in L.A.

07.08.2016 | Heal the Bay

July 8, 2016 — Last year, our supporters helped defeat a proposal to drill for oil underneath the Hermosa Beach seafloor. Now we face another ill-advised project in our Bay – a desalination plant on the El Segundo shoreline near the Manhattan Beach border.

In a time of persistent drought, we all agree on the need to reduce Southern California’s dependence on imported water. But a coaliton of environmental groups — including Heal the Bay, LA Waterkeeper and Surfrider — respectfully disagrees with West Basin Municipal Water District that building a costly and harmful ocean desalination plant is our best option.

Instead of literally sucking the life out of the Bay, West Basin can increase reliable local supplies by aggressively expanding reuse of water supplies we already have. By expanding reuse, we’ll seize on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reliably meet our future water needs while reducing daily dumpings of tens-of-millions of gallons of wastewater in Santa Monica Bay. It’s a win-win.

Each day the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant uselessly dumps 250 million gallons into the Bay. It’s time to value that highly treated water as the precious resource it is. We can no longer afford to throw water away. If Orange County can recycle 100 milion gallons each day, so can we.

To learn more about the proposed desal plant, and our preferred alternatives for securing water independence, please join our staff scientists and policy experts for a lively town-hall meeting in Manhattan Beach on July 21.

THE NEXT WAVE

A Special Town-Hall Meeting

Thursday, July, 21, 7:30 p.m.

Joslyn Community Center

1601 N. Valley Drive

Manhattan Beach

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We’re Serious About Sand Crabs

07.07.2016 | Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay Aquarium Santa Monica

July 7, 2016 — Over the last ten months, citizen scientists of all ages helped our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium survey the humble Pacific Mole Crab (commonly known as the sand crab). More than 60 volunteers collected an immense amount of data about these sand crabs on the beach just outside the Aquarium’s doors – what did they learn?

Last year the Aquarium partnered with the Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students (LiMPETS). This statewide program activates people along the entire California coast to do real science through hands-on data collection – at the Santa Monica Pier we focused entirely on sand crabs, an indicator species useful for measuring the health of the entire ecosystem. We observed how rainfall, water temperature and tides affected the size, sex and abundance of sand crabs.

After consistently collecting data for almost a year we are beginning to see some trends. What is most exciting is the sheer number of sand crabs we’ve been seeing lately. In the winter, if we found two sand crabs we knew it was a good day. Now we’re consistently finding 15-25! What’s behind this drastic change?

The answer has to do with the sand crab’s life cycle. Adult sand crabs have a mating season between November and February. Their eggs develop for 30 days, before hatching into planktonic larvae. These larvae float around in the ocean for a little over four months and go through six different life stages (which ensures that they become widely dispersed and colonize new areas)! They eventually settle onto shore as juveniles, or “recruits,” and about a month later become fully grown adults. This explains why we are currently finding so many sand crabs, especially many of the recruits that were laid in the early months of mating season, drifted as plankton for months, and have now made the Santa Monica beach their home. As they continue to feed and grow, they will soon start the process all over again.

So if you joined on a sand crab survey trek in the winter, be sure to come back and help us find, count, and measure all of the sand crabs we have been finding on the Santa Monica beach!

Taylor Spesak is the Aquarium’s public programs educator. Join him every Wednesday at 3pm for sand crab monitoring. The program is included with Aquarium admission.

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Some Truly Groundbreaking News From Malibu

06.29.2016 | Heal the Bay

Malibu / Pacific Palisades

June 29, 2016 — Heal the Bay celebrates a concrete win in the decades-long fight to clean up polluted beaches in Malibu.

Malibu is one of the most breathtaking and desirable places to live in Southern California, but it has a dirty little secret – septic systems in and around its cultural center have fouled nearby coastal waters for decades.

Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon, and the surrounding ocean, including Surfrider Beach, are critically polluted and numerous studies point to septic systems as a major contributor. Swimmers who recreate in these waters run the risk of all kinds of illnesses.

But today Heal the Bay staff and members celebrated an important milestone in what has been a long and protracted fight to reduce water pollution in Malibu – groundbreaking on a Civic Wastewater Treatment Facility.

For more than 15 years, Heal the Bay has called for the Malibu Civic Center’s septic systems to be replaced by a centralized wastewater treatment facility. It has been a long and bumpy road, with officials complaining about costs and some residents worried about the specter of development if sewers are put in. But our advocacy is finally starting to yield tangible results.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a Septic Prohibition in 2009 that required the phasing out by 2019 of all septic systems in the Malibu Civic Center Area (think Malibu Pier, Pepperdine, Malibu Bluffs Park). And in 2015 the Malibu City Council unanimously certified the Civic Center Wastewater Treatment Facility Final Environmental Impact Report and later secured funding for the facility.

Malibu City Councilmembers, along with members of the California State and Regional Water Control Board, were all in attendance today to put golden shovel to dirt.

“The facility will enable Malibu to protect the natural environment that we cherish, while meeting state mandates to end the use of septic systems in the Civic Center area and producing recycled water to reduce Malibu’s reliance on potable water,” said Laura Rosenthal, Malibu’s current mayor.

Ground breaking at Malibu It was especially gratifying to see Mark Gold, past Heal the Bay president and current board member, in attendance. Amid often fierce opposition from city officials and some Malibu property owners, Gold led the charge to demand an end to septic tanks in the Civic Center area for many years. He helped broker an MOU between the city and the regional water board that phased out septic tanks and mandated the building of a more modern treatment facility. (You can read more about his war wounds in one of his blog posts here.)

While today’s groundbreaking is a big step, the journey to better water quality is far from complete. Septic tanks are still in the process of being phased out and water quality in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon, and local beaches isn’t likely to show improvement until the facility actually begins to treat local wastewater.

The wastewater treatment site is located at the intersection of Civic Center Way and Vista Pacifica. The facility will treat wastewater from properties in and around the Civic Center, and use the recycled water produced by the facility for irrigation of local parks and landscaping.

As the construction advances, we promise to remain vigilant and keep you updated.

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Ventura Oil Spill: How to Apply Lessons Learned

06.23.2016 | Heal the Bay

News

June 23, 2016 — Oozing through the Hall Canyon in Ventura, a crude oil leak was spotted at 5:30 a.m. this morning headed toward the Pacific Ocean. The oil spill traveled over half a mile towards Ventura’s beaches and ocean before it was contained by Ventura County firefighters. Fortunately, reports indicate that the leak was stopped before hitting the water, which would have even more devastating ecological effects to our coast. With last year’s Refugio Oil Spill still fresh in our minds, there are a number of lessons learned regarding response and regulations we hope to see applied, to both prevent and minimize the environmental impacts of these oil spills.

Rapid response and containment is critical before oil reaches a waterway. Unfortunately, with so much oil infrastructure in California, the question isn’t if oil spills will happen, but when. The environmental impacts once oil is spilled are unavoidable, but if it reaches the ocean the cleanup and containment is nearly impossible, which makes those impacts much worse.

Spill size estimates are often incorrect or under-reported. The initial estimate of today’s spill was 5,000 barrels, which has since been reduced to 700 barrels –the equivalent of nearly 30,000 gallons. Unfortunately, initial spill size estimates are often low-balled. For a leak to be measured it must first be detected. Unfortunately these systems aren’t always functional. It’s imperative that close attention is provided in the review and determination of a final spill volume so that the responsible parties are held accountable for damages.

Oil spill response authorities should work with local entities to ensure that local knowledge is incorporated into spill response. Locals know their favorite spots best. They can help monitor progress on cleanups and any potential negative impacts afterwards, as well as ensure that cleanup efforts return natural resources back to baseline status.

Public outreach is critical. It’s important that the potential public health impacts associate with an oil spill are clearly communicated to the public, especially when oil is spilled in high-use areas like neighborhoods, trails and beaches. Air quality is currently being monitored in Ventura based upon noxious odors and concerns of crude vapors related to today’s spill.

Pipeline monitoring and maintenance is imperative to find and fix structural issues before they become problems. Pipeline infrastructure in the state is aging, putting our valuable natural resources at great risk. Last year in the aftermath of the Refugio oil spill, Governor Brown signed SB 295 into law, which requires annual pipeline inspections with State Fire Marshal oversight (previously they had been done every other year).

Oil pipeline operations should be improved to reduce the amount of oil spilled when there is a leak or rupture. This is especially true in ecologically sensitive areas such as riparian corridors and coastal watersheds. Leak detection, automatic shut-off systems, and other technologies are designed to minimize leakage during oil spills. SB 864 was passed and signed into law last year requiring oil companies operating in California to develop plans by 2018 for using such technologies to retrofit their pipelines by 2020.

Additional regulations and policies are still needed to help protect communities from noxious oil spills, including:

Closing loopholes in the California Coastal Sanctuary Act that allow for slant drilling out into coastal waters. The CCSA was designed to prohibit new oil and gas leasing in state waters, but unfortunately a loophole exists in the state legislation that allows for oil and gas extraction in state-owned submerged lands if those lands are being drained from producing wells upon adjacent federal lands.
State Lands Commission has authority over leasing of oil and gas operations in California. Heal the Bay has been encouraging this agency to prioritize identification, monitoring, and tracking of legacy sources of oil and gas in the environment including leaks, seeps, and abandoned wells. There are hundreds of abandoned wells in the Los Angeles region alone, which could be contributing to leaks and pollution. The State Lands Commission should work with relevant public and private entities to ensure such legacy sources are abated and cleaned up.

How you can help. It is important to resist the urge to participate in cleanup efforts. Oil is a hazardous liquid with toxic vapors, and needs to be removed with care. The best thing you can do is to report any abnormal amounts of oil to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. Likewise, if you see any oiled wildlife, do not pick up or try to rescue the animal. Wildlife capture takes special training to prevent injury to the animal as well as the person. Please reported oiled wildlife you see to 1-877-UCD-OWCN and trained experts will respond.

For additional information on the Ventura County oil spill, you can check out the Los Angeles Times article.

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Club Heal the Bay: A Year in Review

06.16.2016 | Heal the Bay

About Us

June 16, 2016 — Summertime and the livin’s easy! What a great time to look back on all of your achievements this year.

With the end of another school year comes the promise of a long and glorious summer. Congratulations to all who have finished another year, to those who have earned Club Drops with Club Heal the Bay, and a special congraduation to those who have attended their last high school class!

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Climate Change Preparedness: It’s a Social Issue

06.14.2016 | Heal the Bay

Climate Change

June 14, 2016 — From melting glaciers to the rise in extreme weather events, global warming is already affecting our planet in a variety of ways. But according to a new study, not all U.S. cities are prepared to deal with its adverse impacts. Sabrina McCormick, professor at MPH@GW, the online Master of Public Health program offered through the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, and her colleague Kathleen Carlson surveyed 65 local decision makers in six major U.S. municipalities to find out which ones are leading the way in climate change adaptation—and why.

What is climate change adaptation?

Climate change adaptation describes the ability of natural or human systems to adjust to the changing climate in order to lessen its harmful effects. This is not to be confused with mitigation, which refers to implementing strategies to remove or reduce the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere. Although distinctly different, adaptation and mitigation are complementary of one another. When done in synergy, these activities can lead to cost-effective implementation of climate policies.

What did the study find?

McCormick discovered that Portland, Boston, and Los Angeles were best prepared for the realities of climate change—while Raleigh, Tucson, and Tampa trailed behind. The following social factors appeared to impact a city’s level of preparedness:

Swing factors, which include events within or characteristics of a city that can lead it toward or away from action. One example is political culture. McCormick found conservative regions to be less likely to support climate change adaptation measures. Extreme weather is another example. In a city like Tampa, events such as hurricanes are viewed as part of everyday life rather than a threat that must be addressed.
Inhibitors, which refer to climate change mindsets that may slow (but not necessarily stop) change. Many decision makers cited a lack of clear, trustworthy scientific information on the consequences of climate change as their reason for inaction.
Resource catalysts, which provide a strong rationale and therefore motivation for adaptation planning. They may include academic and public interest resources that offer a scientific or moral justification for change.

Not surprisingly, the study pointed to public engagement as a driving force for change. And nowhere is this more evident than in Los Angeles. Here are just a few examples of how L.A. nonprofits and residents are banding together to combat the climate crisis:

Heal the Bay collaborates with researchers and agencies to assess the impact of climate change on Southern California coastal environments and help local communities adapt to the new normal.
The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter engages its members and the public in a multitude of campaigns centered on air quality improvement, coastline preservation, and building sustainable communities.
Climate Cents actively mobilizes public support for L.A.-based environmental initiatives such as kelp forest restoration, urban farming, and tree planting.
Los Angeles Walks is a volunteer-run advocacy group focused on making L.A. more pedestrian-friendly and reducing GHG emissions through the development of safe walking environments.

As a heavily populated city that generated a total of 99.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2010 alone (about 21.7 percent of California’s GHG emissions), L.A. has a unique responsibility to confront the global warming issue head on. And its residents are doing just that. McCormick hopes the results of her study will inspire more American cities to take action. After all, adaptation measures are not something that can wait. “It’s not tomorrow,” she says. “It’s today.”

Julie Potyraj is the community manager for MHA@GW and MPH@GW, both offered by the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. For several years, she served as a community development specialist in Zambia coordinating youth empowerment programs and reproductive health education. She is currently an MPH@GW student focusing on global health and health communications.

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SB 1298 to Improve Local Water Management

06.13.2016 | Heal the Bay

Los Angeles Stormwater News

June 13, 2016 — The drought has harmed California’s economy and environment, exposing serious water management issues throughout the state. We applaud Senator Hertzberg for his leadership today in introducing SB 1298, a bill that will help modernize how California manages its precious water resources by providing local governments a path towards the flexibility needed to ensure a healthy and reliable water future for their communities. This will be especially beneficial in the Los Angeles region, where there are great opportunities to capture and treat runoff, turning a nuisance into a much-needed resource.

Given the importance and urgency of this issue, we’ve been disappointed to see opposition arise, especially among agencies who stand to benefit the most directly from its passage. While the bill isn’t a perfectly conclusive fix, it doesn’t preclude further work towards a more ideal solution. In addition, it addresses an urgent need in a timely manner – to date, the only strategy we’re aware of that can make this claim.

Water policy is tough. It has deep history. And, it’s laden with political wonkiness. Here we break down why SB 1298 is so important.

WHAT THE PROBLEM IS?

Communities need better tools to conserve, reuse, and recycle water. The lack of funding for essential water services continues to grow, as shown in a recent Public Policy Institute of California report that identified a $2-3 billion annual funding deficit for critical water services in California.

Additionally, low and fixed income residents struggle to pay their water bills, and it is currently difficult for local agencies to provide financial assistance. It is also difficult for water agencies to create pricing structures designed to conserve water.

WHAT’S THE FIX?

We are seeking a legislative solution that would empower local communities to modernize water management and improve public health, water reliability, environmental protection, and economic stability. Specifically, providing local government better tools in three key areas:

Creating opportunities to fund projects and programs that turn the public health nuisance of urban runoff into a resource. This includes capturing and cleaning polluted runoff and then recycling it or using it to recharge our aquifers. Think nature-based solutions like native plant and soil lined roadways that filter urban runoff, or large stormwater treatment facilities, like Santa Monica’s Urban Runoff Recycling Facility that captures and cleans stormwater, which can then be used for landscape irrigation. SB 1298 gives local agencies more options for supporting local water services.
Providing affordable water. California’s Human Right to Water law says that everyone has a right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water. Unfortunately, our current water management system leaves systems that subsidize low-income ratepayers vulnerable to legal challenge. This leaves many Californians in situations where they are unable to pay for high water rates. SB 1298 would allow water agencies to set rate structures that provide affordable rates to qualifying customers most in need of assistance.
In many parts of the country, water rates are tiered to promote conservation and discourage wasteful overuse – high volume customers are charged higher rates while water savers pay lower rates. Yet, unfortunately current policy contains barriers for local agencies to incentivize water conservation and penalize water wasters. SB 1298 provides a method for water agencies to create financial incentives for water wasters to reduce their use.

WHY NOW?

With the severity of the drought, there is an urgent need to source water locally and reliably. For years, Heal the Bay has provided technical and policy expertise to shape recommendations on ways to improve water management throughout the state, alongside environmental groups, resource managers, and decision makers. SB 1298 incorporates many of our recommendations, and outlines straightforward improvements to current water management inefficiencies. It is an important step in addressing California’s water crisis.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

Call your legislator and tell them how important smart water management is to you by urging them to support SB 1298. Find your legislator here: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/.

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Bring Back the Beach Lights Up the Night

06.10.2016 | Heal the Bay

News

June 10, 2016 — A bit of June gloom couldn’t put a damper on our annual “Bring Back the Beach” fundraising gala, held on the sands of the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica.

A night at our annual party is like a day at the beach, with an amazing cross-section of L.A. gathering to celebrate our region’s greatest natural resource. From Eastside artists to Westside surfers, we’ve got it covered.

We welcomed nearly 1,000 guests, including our usual lively mix of celebs (new HTB fans Andie MacDowell and Perrey Reeves), politicos (Santa Monica Mayor Tony Vazquez and State Sen. Ben Allen), and everyday ocean lovers (you and me!).

Some come for the power schmoozing, others for the Bay Breeze (our take on the classic cocktail), others for the live music (local legends Venice had the boogie-down crowd – led by HTB board chair Don Kinsey and crew — literally begging for more when sound restrictions forced us to close). But all come to support our 31 years of work, which we deeply appreciate.

One of our favorite moments: seeing longtime board member and actress Amy Smart catching up and taking selfies with her “Varsity Blues” co-star Ali Larter. Ali recently reconnected with Heal the Bay, and just packed the house at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium for a fun Saturday morning book reading for kids.

Honorees included HTB board member Executive Vice President with Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Paul Stimpfl, representing the financial services company and longtime supporter of our education efforts at the Aquarium, as well as environmental attorney Felicia Marcus, a founding force of Heal the Bay and current chair of the state’s Water Resources Control Board.

But the loudest cheers seemed to be reserved for our final honoree of the night – the L.A. County Lifeguards. A division of the L.A. County Fire Department, the guards rescue more than 15,000 people who find themselves in trouble in the surf each year.

Given some of the night’s pyrotechnic entertainment, we felt a little relieved to see all the Fire Department brass seated in the front rows. A group of sinewy acrobats from Aerial Culture Inc. tossed blazing batons, ate fire and generally scared the heck out of HTB president Alix Hobbs. Think Cirque du Soleil with flame-throwers.

We met all our fundraising goals for the night, with guests contributing nearly a quarter of our annual operating budget in a single night. A special thanks to HTB board member and Jonathan Beach Club GM Ernie Dunn, who has facilitated our gala for the seventh straight year, and Events By Fabulous, who produced the event.

We’re taking a day off today, but soon enough we’ll be planning for next year’s party. See you on the sand soon. Please enjoy the Bay this summer!

Check out the great photos on our flickr album!

Got killer party pics? Share them on social media and tag @healthebay and #bringbackthebeach!

Photos (top row) by: Jason Kempin for Getty Images

Photos (bottom row, from left) by: Nicola Buck, Nick Colin, David Young-Wolff

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Tidepooling Inside Our Marine Protected Areas

06.07.2016 | Heal the Bay

Marine Protected Areas News

June 7, 2016 — Julie Edwards, Heal the Bay MPA Intern, highlights the recreational opportunities – such as tide pooling – that Angelenos can enjoy in our local marine protected areas. Join us for our next MPA Watch citizen science training in late July!

This month, I did something I haven’t done since I was a child – I went tide pooling. Tide pooling is a great activity for anyone at any age; all it takes is a keen eye! With a little luck you can find curious octopuses, bright green anemones, spiky purple sea urchins and slimy sea hares.

There are great tide pools in Little Dume Cove, which is within the Point Dume State Marine Reserve, where all marine life is protected. The reserve is part of California’s statewide network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which stretches along the state’s coast. MPAs preserve ocean habitats, as well as the diversity and abundance of marine life. They also provide recreational and educational opportunities, such as tide pooling!

Chestnut Cowrie in Little Dume Cove The more upcoast tide pools near Paradise Cove are formed by tall rocks, making tide pooling possible even at mid-tide! In these northern pools you can see woolly sculpins, sand castle worm colonies, and turban snails. You might even get lucky and spot a beautiful chestnut cowrie, like the one pictured on the right. Remember to tread lightly on rocks to avoid stepping on marine life, be gentle when touching critters, and leave animals in their tide pool homes. Check the tides before you go and time your visit for a low tide. Please be careful and do not climb on the rocks – they are slippery and wet, so it is very easy to fall and hurt yourself.

On the northern end of Little Dume Cove, the rocks are covered with mussels and barnacles. There are some anemones hiding amongst the barnacles in shallow pools formed in the rocks so try to spot them!

Low rocks form tide pools at Little Dume Cove Heading south in Little Dume Cove, the pools are no longer formed by ridges of large rocks and are instead formed by many low rocks and small boulders. This area is very accessible and would be great for the whole family. Be sure to get there at the low tide, the rocks are easy to walk across and there is less chance of getting splashed by incoming waves. These pools have an abundance of life but please don’t take anything home! This is a State Marine Reserve so fishing/harvesting of all marine resources is prohibited. If you see anyone collecting from the tide pools during your trip to Little Dume Cove and the Point Dume State Marine Reserve, please call the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1-888-334-CALTIP.

From June 4th-12th the CA Coastal BioBlitz will bring people together to document biodiversity in one place at one time, record observations of plants and animals using smartphones or digital cameras and upload results to the biodiversity recording platform iNaturalist.

Read more about Heal the Bay’s own BioBlitz events in Malibu and Ballona.

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Inglewood Council Votes to Support Desal Plant

05.27.2016 | Steven Johnson

News

May 27, 2016 — The city of Inglewood comes out in favor of a controversial ocean desalination plant proposed for the shoreline in El Segundo, reports staff scientist Steven Johnson.

After a lull in the action, the heated debate over building L.A.’s first full-fledged ocean desalination plant traveled to Inglewood.

West Basin Municipal Water District, which services 17 cities in Los Angeles County, is aiming to build a $300 million plant on the shore in El Segundo. The agency’s hope is to create a minimum of 20 million gallons of drinking water daily.

Heal the Bay and other environmental groups agree that the plant will ultimately be detrimental – it costs too much, uses too much energy and literally sucks life out of the ocean. There are better, underutilized options to augment local water supplies, such as increased water recycling from the nearby Hyperion Treatment Plant. Here are our top five reasons to be wary of desalination.

Pointing out the harm such a plant could do to the ocean, the city councils of both Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach voted unanimously to oppose the project earlier this year. These votes were unfortunately, and in Heal the Bay’s opinion, incorrectly, described at the Inglewood council meeting as motivated simply by a spirit of “Not in My Backyard!”.

To counter that energy, West Basin Board members and staff asked the Inglewood City Council to voice support for the project at a May 17 council meeting.

Public testimony was strongly in favor of the plant, with residents suggesting that the new plant would lead to lower costs for water and that water-deprived parks would be nourished once again. Both of these points run contrary to past experience with desalination plants and the reality of what the proposed plant can provide, however. The recently built Carlsbad plant’s desalinated water is more expensive than any of San Diego’s other sources of water and West Basin’s proposed 20 million gallon a day plant will only account for 10% of the water supplied o its service area.

Ultimately, the Council voted unanimously to support the project, based on the following conditions suggested by West Basin staff:

The cost to customers will be cost-competitive to West Basin recycled water.
The energy involved will be carbon neutral.
And the protection to the environment will surpass the most stringent environmental regulations in the world.

These are noble goals, but it remains to be seen whether they are realistic. As noted above, recent history with desalination plants suggests otherwise, but Heal the Bay will continue to track development of the plant.

In this election season, here’s a quick primer on where cities stand in the debate over desal.

Running Desalination Score

City Councils in Favor:	1
Against:	2
Undecided	14

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