Water on the brain

Mike Churchin

Uncanny? Strategic? Which term should we use to describe the pairing

of front-page articles for the Jan. 13 Independent? The Poseidon

article presents yet another developer (and a second attempt)

promising grand returns to our city if we just let them build this

wee little desalination plant behind the AES power plant. The Orange

County Water District article offers the “tough sell” of making

lemonade out of lemons by reverse osmosis conversion of sewage water

to drinking water.

Of all the “facts” in the articles only one is certain. We need to

decrease our reliance on imported water. The options are few. The way

I see it, our near shore waters are already unpredictably influenced

by sewage impact. Who can say pulling water out of our near shore

intake for the AES plant will be completely free of contamination?

Why bother with managing a sodium load on top of thorough treatment

for contaminants with both sources? Why not eliminate the middleman

(I agree with Councilwoman Debbie Cook) and put the infrastructure

where it is an environmental assist rather than possible detractor?

The outfall for discard of treated waste is much farther offshore

than the AES outfall and has a very well studied distribution and

behavior. We know sewage infrastructure will grow with requisite

increases in (after treatment) fresh water supplies. It just makes

good systems sense to combine the infrastructures of sewage treatment

and potable water generation to minimize their impact on our city.

A fact not mentioned in either article: Once you place

infrastructure to generate fresh water the only thing it will do

predictably is grow. We are a thirsty people and population/density

growth is assured in our little slice of Orange heaven.

Allow me to offer some moderately informed predictions:

* The Huntington Beach Planning Department is well ahead of the

curve in working with the developer to “sell” the project to our

city.

* The public relations effort will be well financed and supported

by those that feel “we need the economic infrastructure” -- oops,

already true.

* The private business establishment will outshine the public

agencies that should be doing this job -- because they haven’t the

funds to sell “door to door” with good PR firms.

* We’ll be told that this is a great opportunity for private

industry to solve a critical problem.

* Scott Baugh and his little-big business-lobbying machine will

engage like pigs hunting truffles.

* Years from now the site will have grown beyond current

imagination to fill fresh water needs for nearly everyone else

besides Huntington Beach.

* The argument to clean up the Ascon-Nesi contamination will

diminish, as the area is looking more akin to an industrial center

than a residential neighborhood.

* Poseidon, its shareholders and others financially conjoined will

have walked away with a great deal of money since they “shopped” the

coast to find the cities in the weakest state to create the best

return for Poseidon.

* This city will net close to zero on the deal in the long run as

the measly portion of return presented today will have long

disappeared secondary to change in ownership, inflation and the

demand for cheaper water from the rest of the county.

* Huntington Beach will feel slighted as we once again gave away

important and unique coastal/industrial infrastructure that

negatively affected existing residential, environmental and local

economic concerns/opportunities.

According to Poseidon officials, the water sharing/purchasing plan

is being discussed “quietly, but not officially”. A true value to the

community wouldn’t need the veil of secrecy, the expensive PR or the

political maneuvering we’re sure to see.

I’ve offered much criticism and presented what I believe to be

viable solutions. I’ll end with a bit of un-solicited strategic

advice. Remember how insulated the Los Angeles Department of Water

and Power was from the energy crisis because they controlled

generation infrastructure? Huntington Beach and Orange County should

consider such strategy to place us head and shoulders above the

coming crisis of community water resources. If we can do it while

decreasing sewage outfall volume ... all the better.

MIKE CHURCHIN is a Huntington Beach resident. To contribute to

“Sounding Off” e-mail us at hbindy@latimes.com or fax us at (714)

966-4667.