Assurances not enough for plant The Poseidon...

Assurances not enough for plant

The Poseidon Desalination Project environmental review should not

be approved by the Huntington Beach City Council. The cumulative

uncertainties and risks of this project are not balanced by potential

benefits to the city or its residents.

First, the environmental effects of dumping 7,000 tons of salt

concentrates per day produced by Poseidon back into Huntington

Beach’s coastal waters can only be guessed at. The only assurance of

such guesswork is that coastal water quality will not improve as a

result. In fact, the Poseidon environmental report states on page 18

of the executive summary: “Ocean water quality: The proposed project

may adversely impact ocean water quality in the vicinity of the HBGS

outfall. Significance: Less than significant.” I am amazed anyone

could possibly claim that dumping 7,000 tons per day of anything into

our coastal waters would be “less than significant.” That’s not 7,000

tons of brine I’m referencing. It’s the actual 14 million pounds of

light and heavy metal salts, which gets dissolved into a brine

mixture for transport and disposal in our near-coastal waters every

day.

At a time when our civic leaders should be making any possible

decision to improve the quality of our coastal waters, they are to

decide on an issue that, according to the requestor’s own documents,

” ... may adversely impact ocean water quality “

Furthermore, there are uncertainties about the adverse effects on

ocean wildlife via the Poseidon intakes; impacts of brine odors on

residential air quality; and the constant noise produced by

pressurizing, pumping and moving around 200,000 tons of water per

day. Combine those with the uncertainty about the technology to

produce the proposed quantity of potable water, especially

considering the debacle of Poseidon’s Tampa effort. Then, there’s the

economic uncertainty of whether it’s wise to build reliance on

private, for-profit sources for what is an essential for life.

Finally, there’s the uncertainty of the long-term viability of

Poseidon as a corporation, particularly considering that, as of Aug.

18, according to the Municipal Water District of Orange County,

Poseidon has no agreement with any public agency to acquire the water

the project produces.

The only assurance Poseidon can give is it “may adversely impact

ocean water quality.” The Poseidon Desalination Project environmental

report should not be approved by the Huntington Beach City Council.

DAVID HAMILTON

Huntington Beach

So few reasons to support desalination

As a young person, I am concerned about my future in a city

threatened by environmental deterioration caused by projects like

Poseidon. The environmental report must be rejected, as it does not

address a number of significant issues. One example is the lack of

addressing the issue of energy costs appropriately. That is

particularly important in view of the fact that Southern California’s

electric rates are the third-highest in the nation.

Additionally, Southern California Edison has declared that it will

not provide Poseidon with discounted rates. Who would then provide

Poseidon with lower energy rates? The taxpayers through public

subsidy?

The confidence of the residents of Huntington Beach in their

elected officials is at stake.

Please vote no on the environmental report.

HADEEL EL-AHRAF

Huntington Beach

Monitoring of water a reason for support

Our beach and coastline are one of our most treasured natural

resources in Huntington Beach. As a resident and environmentalist, I

am very pleased to see that the City Council is considering a

desalination facility that has the ability to regularly monitor the

quality of our ocean water.

Huntington Beach is no stranger to beach contamination from urban

runoff. This proposed facility will set a local structure in place

that would ensure that our city is able to regularly study water

conditions, where we can make improvements to maintain a safe

environment in Huntington Beach. This desalination facility is a

positive alternative for Huntington Beach, and I am glad to see the

City Council is considering it for our future.

HEATHER TROMMALD

Huntington Beach

Poseidon approval

is a no-brainer

I see that Poseidon Resources is coming back to the City Council

with its desalination project. I suggest the council use some forward

thinking and approve the project. It would remove the ugly oil tanks

behind AES, bring millions of dollars to the city and provide another

source for safe drinking water. Approving it is a no-brainer.

TODD FAIRBANKS

Huntington Beach