OCWD considers desalination

The Orange County Water District may build a desalination plant in

Huntington Beach at the very spot where Poseidon Resources Corps

hoped to build one.

“We have a 10-member board [of directors], and I would say the

majority of our board is interested in exploring the opportunity to

implement a seawater desalination plant in Orange County,” said

Virginia Grebbien, general manager of the Orange County Water

District.

The district board is drafting a letter that will be sent out to

various private construction and engineering firms to determine the

level of interest and economic feasibility of such a plant.

The board is in the very first stages of the project and has

considered few details, Grebbien said. She did say, however, that the

plant would be built adjacent to the AES power plant. It would pull

seawater from the power plant and treat it using a process called

reverse osmosis.

In December, the Huntington Beach City Council rejected Poseidon’s

environmental report for a similar plan.

Two Huntington Beach residents sit on the Orange County Water

District’s board of directors, Wes Bannister and Philip Anthony.

Bannister contends that the desalination plant would give

Huntington Beach a reliable source of water, sorely needed in a time

of drought.

“If [Huntington Beach] had an alternative supply, it wouldn’t be

so dependent on water from the Colorado River and Northern

California,” Bannister said.

Unlike Poseidon’s proposal, a plant proposed by the Orange County

Water District would not require approval from the Huntington Beach

City Council. It would need approval from the California Coastal

Commission, the state Department of Health Services and the Santa Ana

Regional Water Quality Control Board.

“We would hope that [Anthony and Bannister] would listen to the

concerns of the people of Huntington Beach that were strongly voiced

during our process,” Councilwoman Connie Boardman said. The board of

directors could likely be swayed once they find out the price range

of desalinated water, Boardman added.

“I think they’ll realize that the costs are not feasible,” she

said. “At this time, it just doesn’t pencil out financially.”

A draft of the letter will most likely be heard at the next water

district board meeting, Grebbien said. The meeting will be held at 5

p.m. Jan. 21 at the Orange County Water District headquarters, at

10500 Ellis Ave. in Fountain Valley. The meeting agenda can be

accessed from the Web site, at https://ocwd.com.

“We’re taking some real baby steps here,” Grebbien said. “We’re

just beginning our investigation.”

Police might ban what demonstrators can carry

The City Council was split Monday over a proposal by Police Chief

Kenneth Small that would prohibit people from carrying a variety of

ordinary objects at demonstrations.

Small is concerned that many seemingly harmless items, such as

inflatable objects, could be used as weapons.

With supermarket strikes ongoing, and considering riots in the

city’s past, he felt the ordinance was important to the city’s

safety. Critics saw it as an abuse of 1st Amendment rights.

After it was clear that the item wouldn’t receive the five votes

required for an emergency item, the council decided to discuss the

ordinance further at a closed session meeting on Monday.

The ordinance would outlaw objects that Councilwoman Jill Hardy

called “traditional rally material.” Equipment prohibited under the

ordinance would include PVC pipes, anything made of metal, hard

plastic or wire, anything with sharp sides and any inflatable device.

Councilwomen Debbie Cook and Connie Boardman argued that

rectangular picket signs often have sharp sides and are commonly held

up with plastic or PVC pipes. Hardy pointed out that a balloon is an

inflatable device.

“I really hope that as a council we can ask the chief to look a

little closer so that traditional rally material won’t become

instigators of conflict,” Hardy said.

The worry, Small said, is that labor disputes could escalate and

turn into disturbances, and certain objects, harmless in peaceful

rallies, could become safety hazards. He cited banners on baseball

bats and inflatable devices used to block roads as examples.

Police have responded to numerous incidents since the supermarket

strikes began.

“What we’re talking about is whether we should allow people to

post those signs or carry those signs on something that can be used

as a weapon,” Small said.

Cook also worried that the ordinance could be used as a tool for

police harassment.

“The real problem is that this will be selectively enforced,” Cook

said. “You’re going to be going out to Joe’s car wash, you’re not

going to harass pep rallies and kids carrying balloons. This raises

issues.”

The council agreed to discuss the item further at 3:30 p.m. Monday

before its closed session meeting.

Plans for Pacific Shoreline race ahead

More than 6,000 runners are expected for the Pacific Shoreline

Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday, less than a month away.

With T-Mobile as this year’s title sponsor and the new Hyatt

Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa serving as host, plans are well

underway for the event, set for Feb. 1.

Since the Pacific Shoreline Marathon held its inaugural race in

1996, the number of runners has climbed from 1,300 to nearly 5,000.

What started as a small-town race has grown to an officially

sanctioned qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

As many as 20,000 spectators are expected to help support the

event, which now draws runners from throughout the United States and

around the world.

The marathon will also feature a massive Super Bowl Tailgate

Party, with bands along the course, live entertainment at the main

stage, food for participants and a beer garden on the beach.

The race will change course this year, starting and ending at the

bridge that leads from the Hyatt to the beach instead of at Pier

Plaza.

The event will feature four races. In addition to the main event,

the 26-mile marathon, there will also be a half marathon, a 5K

run/walk and a mile run for youngsters.

To volunteer, enter or for more information call Stephen Davis at

(949) 581-0105 or log on to https://www.marathonrun.com.

Massive Downtown street improvements

A $1.5-million effort to replace nearly 5,000 feet of pipeline

Downtown is underway.

Workers have already replaced a 1,000-foot water main line that

stretches along Alabama Street from Adams Avenue to Knoxville Avenue.

Another segment, which runs along Florida Street, from Clay Avenue

to Altmar Drive, is about halfway complete. The six-inch diameter

pipe that runs along Florida Street will be replaced with an eight

inch pipeline, which public works officials say will greatly improve

water transmission.

Once all the pipes have been installed, a slurry seal will be laid

down over the street. City officials predict the project will be done

in March 2004.