Despite years of trying to convince the public of the need for this desalination plant, the project has remained controversial because critics, including the Sierra Club, say it will cause severe environmental damage and increased water rates.  All along the Poseidon Water’s plans have been mired in legal disputes, permit battles, and lobbying campaigns paid for by Wall Street backers.  The Sierra Club opposes the Poseidon Water Desalination Project for these reasons:

• Ocean desalination is the most expensive way to produce water
• Ocean desalination costs on average four to eight times more than other options
• Ocean desalination is the most energy intensive water supply option, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions
• A large ocean desalination projects such as this is likely to have significant negative impacts on the valuable marine resources that California has spent millions of dollars to protect
• Large ocean desalination projects are financially risky for ratepayers and taxpayers
• Elsewhere, large desalination plants have been shut down when droughts ended, and water agencies were stuck with financial losses
• Water agencies struggle to justify the high cost of the desalinated water to their ratepayers.

Watch this powerful video to understand what is wrong with this project.

For additional details please read the fact sheet produced by the California Coastkeeper Alliance.

Unfortunately, the Santa Ana Regional Quality Control Board has limited the public’s access to its meetings during the pandemic and has moved the approval process forward despite vocal opposition.  The California Coastal Commission will discuss approval in the near future, (Application of Poseidon Water for 50 million gallon/day desalination plant, adjacent to the AES Huntington Beach Power Station), and your voice in opposing this boondoggle will be most important.

The Angeles Chapter has a campaign against Poseidon in full swing.  Please sign up today!