In the News
As We See It: Don't delay desal plant
April 14, 2010 by Editorial Board of Santa Cruz Sentinel
April showers
bring water power, right?
This year's
abundant rainfall, augmented by a powerful storm this week, might
suggest all worries over drought and water supply are over.
And if that's
so -- if the majority of
Critics
recently have been attacking the Santa Cruz Water Department/Soquel
Creek Water District plan that would cost more than $50 million to
turn seawater into drinking water. The plant would only be used in
seasons of drought.
Opponents'
arguments have been three-fold:
One, that
conservation and other water-saving methods such as capturing
rainfall runoff and recycling will help avoid severe water shortages
in the future.
Two, that
desalination would use fossil fuels to provide the electricity
needed for operations and that marine life could be affected.
Three, that a
plant would lead to more people moving in and more development.
The facts,
however, are that local water users already use far less water than
other Californians -- 75 gallons per day per person, on average, for
Also, there
are limits on how recycled water can be used and conservation can
only go so far to save water.
The Santa Cruz
Water Department and Soquel Creek district are promising the
plan
will use advanced technology to make the plant energy-efficient and
to offset greenhouse gas impacts.
Regarding
growth, some critics say a desal plant would help UC Santa Cruz
expand. It doesn't. It's for drought conditions. Moreover, UCSC,
which has an excellent record of water conservation, and the city of
Make no
mistake: The local water supply can be unreliable. The Santa Cruz
Water Department currently relies primarily on surface water
captured from rainfall and streams to supply its 95,000 customers.
When it doesn't rain -- and
It's during
those years of drought that
If design, environmental review and permits proceed as planned, a desal plant could be online by 2015.