Ocean desalination is an urgent necessity for Orange County. As California faces mandatory water restrictions for the first time in history, we need to be pursuing all of our options. I often hear versions of the question, "How will Orange County protect itself from this systemic water crisis?"

As a scientist, doctor and father, desal is a commonsense answer. It’s really a no-brainer. We're blessed with an abundant water source (the Pacific Ocean) at our doorstep, so let's tap it. But, as an elected official representing the public, I know that it’s imperative to also contemplate costs and taxpayer risk

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Every time drought strikes California, the people of this state cannot help noticing the substantial reservoir of untapped water lapping at their shores — 187 quintillion gallons of it, more or less, shimmering so invitingly in the sun.

Now, for the first time, a major California metropolis is on the verge of turning the Pacific Ocean into an everyday source of drinking water. A $1 billion desalination plant to supply booming San Diego County is under construction here and due to open as early as November, providing a major test of whether California cities will be able to resort to the ocean to solve their water woes.

Huntington Beach, CALIF. – With the state reaching historically low snowpack levels and the Governor calling for mandatory water usage cuts, Poseidon Water is working with coastal California communities to provide affordable, sustainable drinking water to their residents and businesses. Their efforts have resulted in the largest seawater desalination facility in the United States nearing completion in Carlsbad, CA, and another similar sized project being developed in Huntington Beach, CA. Each of these facilities will provide 50 million gallons of drinking water per day to local residents from the Pacific Ocean.

Download a PDF of this Press Release.
Following measurement of the lowest snowpack ever recorded in California history, Governor Jerry Brown announced today, an executive order that will save water, increase enforcement of wasteful water use, invest in new technologies, and streamline the permitting process for water infrastructure projects such as desalination facilities.