The financing will go toward funding an updated cooling system and ensuring the protection of local marine life.
San Diego’s Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant was awarded $170 in federal financing to complete a state-mandated overhaul of its intake system and meet environmental regulations, reports Joshua Emerson Smith for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The article explains, “The facility didn’t initially have to deal with such environmental regulations. The Encina Power Plant, which was decommissioned in 2018, previously pulled in water from the Agua Hedionda Lagoon for its cooling process, providing it to the neighboring facility as an afterthought.” The plant currently provides around 10 percent of the region’s water, pumping in roughly 300 million gallons of seawater per day. “Part of the federal loan will help pay for the long-awaited rehabilitation of 125 acres of coastal wetlands in San Diego Bay. Poseidon is required by the state to complete the project in order to offset environmental degradation caused by the plant.”
In 2022, the California Coastal Commission denied Poseidon, the operator of the Carlsbad plant, a permit to build a new facility in Huntington Beach.
FULL STORY: San Diego County’s desal facility to get $170M federal loan to help with costly overhaul
What Happened to all those Desalination Plants Proposed for California?
Less than a decade ago, "desal" proposals in California numbered over 22, but only one major one was built—in Carlsbad, serving the San Diego region. A newly released study by the Pacific Institute explains why.
California Coastal Commission Rejects $1.4 Billion Desalination Project
The unanimous decision by the Coastal Commission on May 12 might have dealt a fatal blow to the costly seawater desalination project proposed for Huntington Beach, but it was not 'a referendum on the future of desalination in California.'
The Case for Desalination: Option of Last Resort for Some California Cities
In this radio report on the use of the expensive, controversial strategy of desalination to meet California's water needs in an epic drought, KQED's science reporter speaks with the mayor of Carmel, a V.P. of Poseidon Water, and an environmentalist.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
