This Poseidon Project Could Be Misadventure

Re “Before We Turn On the Tap,” Nov. 30: The Times’ editorial observation that “a thirst for good information is just as important as a thirst for water” is absolutely correct.

There is a dearth of information on the environmental impacts of the proposed Poseidon desalination project in Huntington Beach, as pointed out by three state agencies in letters to the city of Huntington Beach: the California Coastal Commission, the California Energy Commission and the state Department of Parks and Recreation.

Huntington Beach should not be approving this project before all environmental impacts are known, whether or not the project is a private project or a public-private partnership.

Either way, the proposed location at the AES power plant in Huntington Beach is the wrong location, because this is where the most polluted beaches in Huntington Beach are.

As stated in the Nov. 17 letter from the Parks and Recreation Department, “In light of the lack of information surrounding the causes of high bacterial levels offshore of Huntington State Beach, we believe permitting a significant change in makeup of the discharge to the ocean waters near this public beach is premature.

“We ask that the city of Huntington Beach definitively rule out any connection between this industrial activity with the high levels of bacteria in the Pacific Ocean prior to approving any changes to the existing collection/discharge regime as proposed by Poseidon.”

Jan D. Vandersloot

Newport Beach

Director, Ocean Outfall Group

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Your editorial hit the mark. There are just too many unanswered questions about the siting and operation of the proposed desalination plant for Huntington Beach.

Never mind the fact that Huntington Beach will have all the headaches of hosting the plant, but Santa Margarita Water District will be receiving the water.

Let’s try conservation!

Nancy Donaven

Huntington Beach

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I agree that approval of the desalination plant in Huntington Beach is premature.

The Huntington Beach City Council should not make a decision until all the environmental studies have been done, including the concerns expressed by the Coastal Commission over what happens to the ocean and concerns expressed by the Department of Parks and Recreation over water quality and beach bacteria problems, since the discharge of the adjacent industrial power plant into this persistently contaminated area will be altered by the desalination project.

Perhaps the proposed site at the AES power plant is simply the wrong location for a desalination facility. This location happens to be where the worst bacteria problems in Huntington Beach have occurred. The reasons for the persistently high readings remain elusive, despite millions of dollars of study.

Trading off the economic benefits of a clean beach to the city of Huntington Beach for the profit of inland developers is not a good deal for the people of Huntington Beach.

Rob Nelson

Huntington Beach