California Coastal Commission OKs desalination plant in Orange County
Officials with the commission agreed to the project at a public hearing in Dana Point on Wednesday. The permit was granted after more than six months of public review.
“This desalination plant will be the first of its kind in Orange County. This plant will be environmentally sound and be a great benefit to the local economy,” said Commission Chairman Michael Hagen. “I’m very pleased that the citizens of Orange County voted to permit our first desalination plant in Orange County.”
Hagen said the plant will supply 10,000 gallons of drinkable water to more than 2,000 customers a day. The project will be built on the former North Orange County Naval Weapons Center site, which sits on more than 100 acres. It is located at the intersection of Orange and Coast roads in Dana Point.
Hagen and other officials also said that the plant could provide 50 percent of San Antonio’s water supply, which is in the area of $2 billion.
California Desalination Plant Would Be First In Orange County
The project would help to reduce the impact on the local economy, officials stated.
The plant’s first phase would produce about 200 million gallons annually for San Antonio customers. It would produce 500,000 to 1 million gallons per day.
The permit was first approved by the board on Jan. 23, 2018. That approval followed a lengthy public review that lasted nearly four months.
After approval by the Coastal Commission, the plant would go to the San Antonio Water System for final approval. The utility would then issue the water to the San Antonio Water System customers.
The project would be built at the former San Antonio Naval Weapons Center site, which sits on more than 100 acres. It is located at the intersection of Orange and Coast roads in Dana Point.
The plant would be built on the former North Orange County Naval Weapons Center site, which is more than 80 percent complete. That land is on the north end of the Naval Weapons Center, which is the site of former U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Seal Beach.
The project would be built in four phases and involve the construction of the plant buildings, the construction of the water pumping facilities, the construction of the des