California Coastal Commission OKs desalination plant in Orange County
A group of environmentalists and other activists oppose the desalination plant, saying it has violated the environment and human health. They gathered outside the building at 1014 San Ygnacio Street on Saturday afternoon.
The Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Coastal Development Project on Thursday.
After an environmental review, the Coastal Commission will decide whether the plans for the desalination plant are “in the public interest and do not violate any other laws or regulations,” said Commission President Joe Balter in a statement.
The commission gave the Coastal Development Project a 15 percent “go” because, in its opinion, it “will result in a net gain to the public.”
The developer is seeking to build an 82-acre plant to produce 1,500 acre-feet of water per year from seawater.
The desalination plant would be built on a former landfill in south Orange County, next to a natural spring that feeds into the ocean.
“This is very similar to what’s happening in California, to have a desalination plant near the ocean,” Balter said. “A lot of people have concerns about the health of the surrounding environment, and then there’s concern about the health of people who live in the proximity of the plant.”
The Coastal Commission is considering the plant’s impact on the ocean, its impact on the freshwater ecosystem and on the marine, coastal and beach ecosystems, its potential effects to coastal ecosystems, and the impact on people who live in the area, Balter said.
“Ultimately, we’re going to be able to protect the people who live in the area.”
The commission will hear testimony from the staff of two nonprofits, the Orange County Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Coastal Conservancy.
This water will then be put into the ocean for the fish to get back their healthy ocean.
The Coastal Commission granted a 10 percent approval for the Coastal Development Project because it is important to California and the public.
“We’re here today to talk about a project that will benefit the state of California and our ocean, and that is one of the real benefits that Orange County will have from this project,” Balter said.
The project will cost $150
