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| Here's the big, bad, expensive but effective desalination plant being built |
San Jose Mercury News/Science and Environment/Paul Rogers, 5/29/14. "Nation's largest ocean desalination plant goes up near San Diego; future of the California coast?"
"CARLSBAD -- On sunny afternoons, this stretch of beach 35 miles north of San Diego offers a classic Southern California backdrop: joggers, palm trees and surfers, flanked by waves rolling in and pelicans soaring overhead. But just across the road, another scene, unlike any other in the state's history, is playing out: More than 300 construction workers are digging trenches and assembling a vast network of pipes, tanks and high-tech equipment as three massive yellow cranes labor nearby. The crews are building what boosters say represents California's best hope for a drought-proof water supply: the largest ocean desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. The $1 billion project will provide 50 million gallons of drinking water a day for San Diego County when it opens in 2016.
Since the 1970s,
California has dipped its toe into ocean desalination --talking,
planning, debating. But for a variety of reasons -- mainly cost and
environmental concerns-- the state has never taken the plunge. Until now. Fifteen
desalination projects are proposed along the coast from Los Angeles to
San Francisco Bay. Desalination technology is becoming more efficient.
And the state is mired in its third year of drought. So critics and
backers alike are wondering whether this project in a town better known
as the home of Legoland and skateboard icon Tony Hawk is ushering in a
new era." Read article.
Reference - Carlsbad Desalination Plant project. Note: photograph from this project overview.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
Posted by Kathy Meeh
10 comments:
Quarry! We'll make a fortune selling liquid gold.
I was in Cabo San Lucas last week and they have a desalination plant that also produces power to reduce costs. It supplies water to 40,000.
A Bay Area company designed it.
http://www.energyrecovery.com/cabo-san-lucas-desalination-plant-mexico
Thanks Hutch. No doubt it's state-of-the-art. Council will be planning an official junket real soon.
if we did this maybe we can do away with the NCCWD. a kingdom unto themselves with no public oversight
Pardon me, 143, but don't the voters elect those NCCWD Board Members? That's your public oversight, along with whatever regulatory agencies take an interest.
Think it best to wait a bit on hoping for a local desalination plant. Not enough information on what, if any harm will be done to the ocean environment.
525 The NCCWD board meets and decides if we get rate increases and the public is not invited. They don't publish the meetings or any of their financials where they are easily found. The public can not submit comments nor are they advised. They have holiday dinners at Sharp Park Restaurant on our dime for employees and guests and I believe the top dog is making 200K+. Remember the general manager was convicted of embezzling? There is still no public oversight.
http://pactrib.hax.com/1997/jan/15/stevens.html
http://pactrib.hax.com/1997/mar/5/lawsuit.htm
836 Say what? Elected Pacifica officials operating on a need to know basis with the electorate? Get outta here! That NCCWD calendar is sure a model of brevity. Any idea about Board compensation?
if the drought continues, we won't be able to give our homes away for $1.00- agree san mateo county needs to desalinate. quarry is a very interesting idea. who on the NCCWD can give us any idea of strategies?
959 Board Compensation? You mean when the NCCWD Board Members turn on a faucett at home, does money come out? You be the judge. According to the Transparent California website and just looking at the 3 of the 5 current directors who have served for a few years, the compensation ranges from about $24,000 to $28,000 per year. Keep in mind most of the comp is benefits rather than cash. Several are double-dippers, ie, they have FT jobs with other public employers like this city or that city. Probably maximizing their benefit options. I would. It's all good because we benefit from all their cumulative expertise and they benefit from knowing a good thing when they see it. I suppose that as public employees of the NCCWD they also have pension benefits.
While I was being nosy, I checked on how our City of Pac employees were doing. Be proud, people! You know how there were complaints on this blog that too many city emps made over $100K? Time marches on. In 2013 twelve of our 158 FT city emps made over $200K. Others were damn close. According to Transparent California the 2013 payroll was $20,903,166 for our 314 city employees (FT,PT, on-call). Almost 21 million bucks! Median FT city pay with benefits was $125,898 ($98,699 w/out). Median FT pay for residents who missed the train? $64,972. Transparent California. I'm jealous, but I really begrudge no one their paycheck/s. Still, every so often I do wonder how as a city we'll continue to pay for this? That's my concern, because money don't come out of my faucett.
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