How soon will Poseidon be obsolete?

In the 1980s the following inventions were made and affect our lives to this day: Macintosh computers, CD players, the Internet, the Walkman, Nintendo and laser eye surgery.

How can these be tied to the proposed Poseidon project? All of the above inventions that affect our daily lives are outdated and in some cases not even used anymore or have been so redefined and technically advanced that only the name still exists.

It has been stated by every organization evaluating our water needs that we will not have a shortage until 2030. If Poseidon is allowed to put in its desalination plant, how state-of-the-art will it be 25 years from now? How will technology change in the next 25 years? Consider the Macintosh computer, which is a dinosaur compared to the Apple and iMac computers of today. Why are we allowing a technology that is unproven (witness Poseidon’s work in Tampa Bay) to be put in? And at what cost to Huntington Beach?

In last week’s Independent, City Councilman Gil Coerper said he wouldn’t even drink the Tampa Bay water (“Two for the show,” Dec. 8). Will he drink Huntington Beach’s if we have another summer of red tides?

Both Coerper and City Councilman Don Hansen in last week’s Independent characterize the opposition to Poseidon as a small vocal group of dissidents, Coerper saying there are about 12 to 15 people who are really vocal. I have a list of more than 3,258 people from all ZIP Codes in Huntington Beach who sent cards to City Hall opposing Poseidon. These are voting members of the community.

In the end this project may not really be about water for Huntington Beach, if it ever was. I suspect this is also a power play from big business and their supporters in the area to get all major projects passed no matter what the community wants. From the comments of Hansen and Coerper in your newspaper, my thinking does not seem to be far off.

* TOPPER HORACK is a Huntington Beach resident. To contribute to “Sounding Off” e-mail us at hbindependent@latimes.com or fax us at (714) 966-4667.