Thirdcloud Publications Surf City Strand Mag November 2015 | Page 24

Warning the public about a monopoly system
Former Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook is warning the public about the proposed
Huntington Beach Poseidon project saying, “Once we get tied into this monopoly system we are
stuck with them.” That‘s because Orange County taxpayers, like those in San Diego, will be
obligated to purchase Poseidon’s entire water production whether we need it or not, under a
provision called an “off-take contract.”
Assemblyman Wagner confirmed that if
Poseidon’s water wasn’t immediately
needed or consumed, their production
would be pumped into our ground water
supply which, unlike in California’s
central valley, has been locally well
managed. In other words, Orange
County taxpayers are on the hook for
Poseidon’s entire desal production, not
just for what we consume or need.
In San Diego County, residents are now obligated to purchase
Poseidon’s water from their Carlsbad planet for the next 30 years at twice the current cost of
imported water. Given Poseidon’s highly leveraged capital investment, Moody’s Investors Service
reports that it’s “unlikely the project would be financially viable absent its current off-take contract.”

Poseidon is “certain,” that their lobbying efforts will get them approval and that the Huntington
Beach plant will move forward pending approval from the California Coastal Commission.
According to a report from Aljazeera America, the Orange County Water District has already voted
to give Poseidon an even better deal than in Carlsbad—the differing deal terms weren’t explained.

Increasing costs and our carbon footprint
Assemblyman Wagner, whose 68th District includes the cities of Lake Forest, Irvine, Tustin,
Orange, Villa Park and Anaheim Hills says, “Here in Orange County we are frankly, quite lucky,”
referring to the state of our present groundwater supply which he thinks is “the result of some hard
work.” “We have managed our ground water quite well—we’re lucky to have it and we’ve had
some fairly insightful leaders in the water community in Orange County,” Wagner believes.
Debbie Cook points out that “the risk is on the person whose got to pay the tab” for Poseidon
water, saying that the “Orange County Water District does not need this water.”
Beyond the substantial increased cost of water, an important environmental factor is energy
consumption. A 2012 Huntington Beach report estimates that water management alone in
California already consumes 19% of our total energy—pumping, treating and transporting water.
At a time when climate science is warning the entire world to minimize their carbon footprint, the
Huntington Beach Poseidon plant is clearly at odds with that concern.
The trend towards more desalinized water as an insurance policy against a protracted drought
threatens to amplify the anthropogenic climate disruption loop—our carbon footprint. Two gallons
of seawater, for example, are needed to produce one gallon of drinking water at Poseidon’s
Carlsbad plant. However, to remove the salt, 38 megawatts—enough to power 28,500 homes—is