Project Location: Doheny State Beach

Extended Pumping and Pilot Plant Testing for the South Orange Coastal Ocean Desalination Project began June 2010 at a temporary mobile test facility at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point and will continue into 2013.

Project Background

The Municipal Water District of Orange County began exploring the feasibility of developing an ocean desalination facility in 2002. The South Orange County Water Reliability Study recommended a number of initiatives to improve water reliability, including ocean desalination in South County.

In 2006, a Project Participants' Committee was formed with members from the cities of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Beach County Water District, Moulton Niguel Water District and South Coast Water District. The Municipal Water District is a Project Supporter.

Project Meetings         

South Coast Water District Vice President Ingrid McGuire is the 2012 Chairperson of the Project Participants' Committee.  The Committee generally meets once a month.  Upcoming or most recent meeting information is posted here.     

• No Committee Meeting scheduled for April 2012
• Test Facility Open House:  April 26, 2012, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Doheny Beach
• Documents:  Click here for the Agenda Packet 03.28.12 and Supplement.  They provide the agenda, reports and draft minutes from the last meeting.

While the committee meetings are not subject to the Brown Act, members have decided that their meetings involve a matter of public interest and shall be open to the public.  The group is voluntarily following Brown Act procedures as a courtesy and convenience to its members and the public.
 

Project Goals

Currently, South Orange County is about 90% reliant on imported drinking water to meet the needs of residents and businesses. The proposed ocean desalination facility could yield 15 million gallons a day of local potable water -- approximately 25% of the water needed in the area. If feasible, funded and built, this regional facility could be operational as early as 2020.

• To replace unreliable and decreasing supplies of imported water
• For emergency back up should an earthquake, system shutdown or other event disrupt the delivery of imported water to our area

Project Milestones

• From 2005 to 2007, Phase 1 and 2 Project Testing took place at Doheny State Beach and concluded successfully – involving hydrogeology studies, near-shore test drilling, and initial ocean water pumping.
• In 2006, a subsurface slant well was drilled into the sand at Doheny Beach and under the ocean floor. The 350-foot long subsurface well is innovative technology for ocean-water intake because it draws feed water through an alluvial formation under the ocean rather than the open water. This approach avoids many environmental concerns of open-water intake such as entrainment and impingement of marine organisms. At the same time, it offers the benefits of natural filtration of feed water -- significantly reducing or eliminating costly pre-treatment efforts and providing a buffer against red tide and other shock-loading events.
• Since 2010, Phase 3 Extended Pumping & Pilot Plant Testing has received the support of environmental organizations because feed water intake does not harm marine life.

Project Status

During Phase 3 testing, essential ocean water and groundwater data will be evaluated, including well performance and impact on groundwater, reverse osmosis membrane treatment, materials corrosion and microbial growth. A pre-treatment study will investigate methods to remove iron and manganese in the feed water due to groundwater entering the subsurface slant well.

Phase 3 testing costs are estimated at $5 million. Funding has come from a $1.5 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources, an $850,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the contributions of the participating agencies and cities.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has agreed to provide a subsidy of $250 per acre-foot of desalinated water produced at the proposed facility, which could lower the projected cost of desalinated water to $1,100 per acre-foot. Metropolitan estimates that in 2015 the purchase price for its imported water will be $927 per acre-foot.

Project Elements

• Successfully complete feasibility testing.
• Form joint powers “project participant” group.
• Secure project funding (up to $150 million).
• Develop full-scale project description
• Develop and adopt Environmental Impact Report
• Determine construction approach: design/build/operate
• Secure ground lease agreement for desalination facility.
• Secure necessary permits for construction in the coastal zone.
• Design intake well system and reverse osmosis process
• Select construction contractor/s.
• Construct well system and desalination facility.
• Commence operations (2020)

Project Information