San Diego county commissions $1bn Carlsbad desalination plant in US

San Diego County Water Authority and Poseidon Water has turned the $1bn Carlsbad desalination plant operational in California, US.

Claimed to be the largest seawater desalination plant in the US, the facility increases reliability of water supply in the county and has already produced 1.5 billion gallons of locally controlled water for the region.

The plant is supported with a 30-year water purchase agreement, which had been signed by its developer and owner, Poseidon Water, and the local water authority.

The now-operational facility has the capacity to produce up to 56,000 acre-feet of water annually, which is sufficient to meet the water requirements of nearly 400,000 US citizens.

IDE Technologies has been appointed as the operator for the facility which uses reverse-osmosis technology for water purification.

California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins said: "The Poseidon project not only provides San Diego County with a drought-proof water supply, it also demonstrates how California can meet the water needs of future generations."

The project includes the desalination plant, which is located beside NRG Energy’s Encina Power Station on Agua Hedionda Lagoon, along with a 10-mile pipeline that connects it to the water authority’s regional distribution system.

It also comprised upgrades to water authority facilities in the US county for distribution of desalinated seawater in the region.

The Carlsbad project is the first water infrastructure project in California having a zero net carbon footprint.

San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors chairman Mark Weston said: "The Water Authority and its member agencies have been aggressively diversifying the region’s water supply for decades, and the Carlsbad Desalination Plant is a major component of that effort.

"The Claude ‘Bud’ Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant opens a new chapter in water supply reliability for the San Diego region and the state by tapping the potential of the Pacific Ocean and reducing dependence on strained resources such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta."

Poseidon Water CEO Carlos Riva said: "This pioneering project is the result of more than 17 years of planning, permitting and construction.

"It required teamwork between Poseidon Water, the Water Authority, our contractors, NRG Energy, and the cities of Carlsbad, Vista and San Marcos.