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Learn the Facts About Poseidon's Overpriced Desalination Plan

5 Reasons to OpposeWatch Video

Poseidon Desalination is Bad Deal for Consumers
and Environment

In the wake of the recent drought, Wall Street corporate interests are pushing seawater desalination and the privatization of our water supply as the solution to California’s water woes. But we’re not buying what they’re selling. The proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project is a bad deal for California consumers, and we have better options to meet California’s water needs.

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More expensive than imported water

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More expensive than harvesting rainwater

The Fact Is: California Doesn’t Need Privatized Seawater Desalination 

Fact: Water Rates Will Rise Significantly.

Poseidon wants to commit ratepayers to buying 50 years’ worth of water that will raise rates for families and businesses. Californians have a Human Right to Water.

Fact: It’s Bad for the Environment.

The Poseidon plant would kill marine life and discharge polluted brine, creating a “dead zone” offshore of Huntington Beach.

Fact: We Have Bright Ideas to Meet Long-Term Needs.

Orange County has more affordable, sustainable, energy-efficient options for delivering water.

Desalination is California’s Most Expensive Option

Cost comparisons from the Pacific Institute show that seawater desalination is by far the most expensive water source. It costs nearly four times as much as imported water and almost five times more than harvesting rainwater. Conservation and efficiency are the most affordable options.

 

Desalination is an Energy Hog

Seawater desalination is a highly inefficient process, using three times more electricity than water recycling. At a time when California is working to kick our fossil fuel habit and maximize energy efficiency, desalination is a step in the wrong direction. This project is climate poison.

Big Water Is Desperate to Push Through Its Pet Projects

From San Diego to San Jose, California communities are moving ahead with affordable, energy efficient, and climate resilient projects. The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center and Orange County’s state-of-the-art Groundwater Replenishment System are two examples of projects producing twice as much water as the proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant for a fraction of the cost.

As more smart water solutions come online in other communities, companies like Poseidon, part of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, are getting desperate. That is why Poseidon has spent millions lobbying for its Huntington Beach proposal. But the facts speak for themselves: seawater desalination should be an option of last resort, and the billion dollar boondoggles Poseidon is selling just don’t make sense for California communities. Read the latest news.