Desalinated Water to Boost Catalina’s Supply

Construction has begun on a desalination plant to convert seawater to drinking water on Catalina Island, according to the builder of the island’s Hamilton Cove development, which is building the plant.

The desalination plant will be a partnership between Hamilton Cove and the Southern California Edison Co., said James W. Oates, president of Whitehawk Partnership.

“This will not only by the first desal plant that will turn seawater into potable water, but it’s the first time the private and public sectors have come together to produce, in partnership, a project of this type,” Oates said.

Hamilton Cove Associates is the private gated residential resort on Catalina Island. Southern California Edison is the public utility that supplies water to the island.

After two years of negotiations between Hamilton Cove and Edison, the utility company filed a petition with the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC). PUC approval was obtained and construction was begun immediately.

The anticipated completion date is in December.

The $3-million plant, built by Hamilton Cove, is jointly engineered by David A. Boyle Engineers of Santa Ana and Southern California Edison. Completion is expected in December.

The utility will own and operate the Pebbly Beach plant, which is expected to augment the island’s water supply by 145 acre feet, or 48 million gallons, of drinkable water a year.

The increase translates into almost one-third of this island’s annual water consumption. About one-half of the water generated from the plant will be allocated for use by Hamilton Cove.

“It’s a win-win situation,” said Keith Lefever, Edison’s Catalina district manager, “especially coming as it does in a drought season. Hamilton Cove is now able to complete the building process, and we will have a reserve to help offset the impact of the island’s current drought.”

The plant will use reverse osmosis technology to produce 132,000 gallons of fresh water from 530,000 gallons of seawater daily; 398,000 gallons of water will be returned to the ocean everyday.

In terms of cost to Edison customers, Lefever indicated that desalinated water costs $1,815 per acre foot compared to $1,000 per acre foot for mainland water, but about the same as natural water on Catalina Island.