When the Carlsbad
facility comes online
in 2016, the county
will pay more for
desalinated water
than imported water.
However, it’s estimated that by
2025,
desalination will be
equal in cost or
less expensive than
water piped in from
other locales.
The Carlsbad desalination plant project survived 21 hearings on environmental issues and 14 legal challenges.
IMAGE cOURTESy Of ThE cARlSbARD DESAlINATION PROjEc T
“There are several projects on the drawing boards from southern California all the way
up to the central coast and even some fledgling interest in the San Francisco Bay Area,” Mr.
MacLaggan says. “And all of those folks are watching closely to see what happens here.”
A Grain of Salt
Turning seawater into potable, tap-ready drinking water is a technological marvel all its own,
but keeping the Carlsbad desalination development on track has been no less of a miracle. The
facility is a dozen years in the making—the permitting process alone took six years, spawned
21 hearings on environmental issues and brought 14 legal challenges from various interests.
A project as large and complex as Carlsbad requires patience and thoroughness, Mr.
MacLaggan says. While Poseidon worked with various stakeholders to address concerns and
WATER WORLD Noteworthy desalination projects around the globe:
Carlsbad Facility,
Carlsbad,
California, USA
The 50-million-gallons-
per-day (189-million-liters-
per-day) facility received
final approval and funding in
December 2012 and is due to
come online in 2016.
A
Tampa Bay Seawater
Facility, Tampa Bay,
