The one-year anniversary of the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant gives us an opportunity to look at its positive impact in the region. One year later, the plant represents the best of our collective efforts to solve water challenges. In its first year of operations, the desalination plant generated 10 percent (15 billion gallons of fresh water) of the region’s water supply during one of the most severe droughts in California’s history.
“The desalination plant underscores our region’s commitment to reducing reliance on imported water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta and meeting the objectives of the state’s Water Action Plan. Every drop of water we produce locally is a drop that we don’t need to import from outside the region.”
You may recall the plant was dedicated on Dec. 14, 2015, in front of more than 600 elected officials, community leaders and project partners. The facility – named after the late Carlsbad mayor who also served as Water Authority Board chair – soon garnered local and international accolades. It was honored in April 2016 with a Global Water Award as the Desalination Plant of the Year by Global Water Intelligence for “the most impressive technical or ecologically sustainable achievement in the industry.”
In June, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association recognized the desalination project with its highest honor – the Grand Golden Watchdog – for “stretching taxpayer dollars through cooperation between the public and private sectors.” And in July, Poseidon was named an Energy Champion by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) for its “remarkable commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency and conservation.”
The Carlsbad plant uses reverse osmosis to produce a highly reliable supply, day-in and day-out, regardless of weather or climate conditions, and it is blended with water from other sources for regional distribution. It costs about a half-cent to produce a gallon of drinking water at the plant. Desalinated water costs typical homeowners in the region about an additional $5 per month, in line with the low end of projections when the project was approved in late 2012.