As California faces its most severe drought in recorded history, the West Basin Municipal Water District Board of Directors has voted to begin an environmental impact report as part of its research to build a full-scale ocean-water desalination facility in the South Bay.
By initiating the EIR, West Basin will evaluate all environmental impacts associated with building and operating a 20-million gallon per day and a 60-million gallon per day ocean-water desalination facility.
Engineering projects identified to have potentially significant impacts to the environment are required to quantify these impacts, as stated in the California Environmental Quality Act.
The EIR will quantify impacts attributed to the intake, discharge, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and more. This document not only will identify and quantify impacts but determine how much mitigation would be required for the facility to have a net zero environmental impact.
“As a coastal water agency, it is important that West Basin evaluate a responsible ocean-water desalination program, should it be needed in the future,” said Board President Gloria Gray.
“As the drought worsens, and with the uncertainty of climate change, it is prudent to explore ocean-water desalination. We need to continue working toward our water reliability goals and toward increasing local, drought-proof water supplies such as ocean-water desalination and recycling.”
Since 2002, West Basin has tested the feasibility of ocean-water desalination with a focus on protecting marine life and minimizing costs through reduced energy and chemical consumption.
West Basin has participated in the regulatory efforts that have helped shape California’s ocean-water desalination policies.
The recently finalized desalination permitting process adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board on intakes, discharges and mitigation is the first of its kind in the world.
As Southern California faces rising demands and a shrinking water supply, augmenting imported water is becoming increasingly important. In addition to increasing water recycling, groundwater desalting and water conservation, investigating ocean-water desalination to diversify local water supplies is a key part of West Basin’s water reliability program.
For further information about West Basin’s ocean-water desalination studies and water reliability program, see www.westbasin.org.
Ms. Paliwal may be contacted at MedhaP@westbasin.org
