Opinion: Desalination plant in Southern California is important to water security

Photo: Workers prepare a desalination plant for service at the Charles Meyer Desalination Facility in Santa Barbara this year. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group)

Climate change is all around us. Extreme weather conditions including recent Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria demonstrate the intensity and impact of climate change on our environment. We’ve seen California and other parts of the West Coast fight large, uncontrollable wildfires and our neighbors in Mexico hit with violent and destructive earthquakes.

Earthquakes of that magnitude would be detrimental to our State’s aqueducts and would leave Southern California without water. California only recently saw an end to the severe five-year drought that resulted in a state of emergency due to restricted access to safe and reliable water sources. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a severe pattern that will continue and worsen.

The recent five-year drought was a clear and agonizing reminder of what scientists say lies ahead. We need to be prepared for what the future holds. We cannot be caught on our heels in the event of a natural disaster. Projects like Poseidon Water’s proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant provide innovative solutions to the need for reliable water sources. The Huntington […]

Full article: Opinion: Desalination plant in Southern California is important to water security