Doheny Ocean Desalination Project Desalination: Providing a reliable, drought-proof and locally controlled safe water supply Currently, the South Coast Water District (SCWD) relies on imported drinking water to supply about 90% of our water needs. The majority of our water is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. The drought and climate change brought shortages that may change the way we view water forever. The Pacific Ocean is the only remaining, virtually unlimited water supply available. Giving us more options. We must find new ways to diversify our water portfolio and protect ourselves from additional shortages due to drought, water politics and possible natural disasters. In South Orange County, seawater desalination is a natural next step. Pure, high quality drinking water. Desalination is a proven, state-of-the-art technology used throughout the world. Using reverse osmosis, it will clean, disinfect, and purify seawater to produce high quality drinking water. It will ensure a reliable, drought-proof, and locally controlled safe water supply for us while protecting our prized ocean environment. Up and running by 2020. The initial 4 to 5 million gallons per day (MGD) plant would be up and running in just a few short years. The location of the plant, between Pacific Coast Highway and Stonehill Drive next to San Juan Creek, is within about 100 yards of regional water transmission lines — infrastructure is already built. Treatment plant site land acquisition is not needed (SCWD already owns the property) and miles of pipeline would not need to be constructed before water could be distributed, saving additional time and costs. As well, with future partners, the plant could be scaled up to 15 MGD, a true regional facility. Protecting our environment and our economy. The proposed Doheny desalination plant is environmentally friendly. The subsurface slant well intake technology eliminates harmful entrapment of marine life, which is an issue with offshore open intake systems. We, as South County residents, understand the precious nature of our environment and marine life. We value our beach lifestyle and economic well-being. Visitors come from all over the world to stay in our five-star hotels and experience what we enjoy when we wake up every day. Our world-renowned beaches, beautiful carved coastline and abundance of marine life, including whales and dolphins, are economic drivers for our community. Our waves draw surfers from every continent. This project will use a slant well water intake system buried beneath the ocean floor to ensure protection of the marine life. The slant well technology prevents marine life from being harmed by the system. This technology is preferred by environmentalists and state regulators. Environmentally friendly: Slant well intake: Beneath the ocean floor at Doheny State Beach The liquid brine from desalination will be mixed with treated wastewater from the South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) J.B. Latham Wastewater Treatment Plant and routed through the existing ocean outfall. Site owned by South Coast Water District: SCWD-owned land about a half-mile inland on the east side of San Juan Creek Water Distribution infrastructure already in place: Water distribution system adjacent to the site Desalination / FAST Facts SLANT WELL INTAKE AREA POTENTIAL CONSTRUCTION IMPACT AREA SCWD 30 ACREA PARCEL AVAILABLE FOR PLANT SITE
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Doheny Ocean Desalination Project
Desalination: Providing a reliable, drought-proof and locally controlled safe water supply
Currently, the South Coast Water District (SCWD) relies on imported drinking water to supply about 90% of our water needs. The majority of our water is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. The drought and climate change brought shortages that may change the way we view water forever. The Pacific Ocean is the only remaining, virtually unlimited water supply available.
Giving us more options.We must find new ways to diversify our water portfolio and protect ourselves from additional shortages due to drought, water politics and possible natural disasters. In South Orange County, seawater desalination is a natural next step.
Pure, high quality drinking water.Desalination is a proven, state-of-the-art technology used throughout the world. Using reverse osmosis, it will clean, disinfect, and purify seawater to produce high quality drinking water. It will ensure a reliable, drought-proof, and locally controlled safe water supply for us while protecting our prized ocean environment.
Up and running by 2020.The initial 4 to 5 million gallons per day (MGD) plant would be up and running in just a few short years. The location of the plant, between Pacific Coast Highway and Stonehill Drive next to San Juan Creek, is within about 100 yards of regional water transmission lines — infrastructure is already built. Treatment plant site land acquisition is not needed (SCWD already owns the property) and miles of pipeline would not need to be constructed before water could be distributed, saving additional time and costs. As well, with future partners, the plant could be scaled up to 15 MGD, a true regional facility.
Protecting our environment and our economy.The proposed Doheny desalination plant is environmentally friendly. The subsurface slant well intake technology eliminates harmful entrapment of marine life, which is an issue with offshore open intake systems. We, as South County residents, understand the precious nature of our environment and marine life. We value our beach lifestyle and economic well-being. Visitors come from all over the world to stay in our five-star hotels and experience what we enjoy when we wake up every day. Our world-renowned beaches, beautiful carved coastline and abundance of marine life, including whales and dolphins, are economic drivers for our community. Our waves draw surfers from every continent.
This project will use a slant well water intake system buried beneath the ocean floor to ensure protection of the marine life. The slant well technology prevents marine life from being harmed by the system. This technology is preferred by environmentalists and state regulators.
Environmentally friendly: Slant well intake: Beneath the ocean floor at Doheny State Beach
The liquid brine from desalination will be mixed with treated wastewater from the South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) J.B. Latham Wastewater Treatment Plant and routed through the existing ocean outfall.
Site owned by South Coast Water District: SCWD-owned land about a half-mile inland on the east side of San Juan Creek
Water Distribution infrastructure already in place: Water distribution system adjacent to the site
Desalination / FAST Facts
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Plot Date: Cad File No:8 February 2016 - 5:16 PM C:\Users\tabercrombie\Desktop\Doheny\CAD\Doheny Project Study Area\Project Study Area Aerial Images.dwg
ExhibitDate
RevisionJob Number
175 Technology Dr. Suite 200, Irvine, CA 92618 USA T 1 949 250 0501 F 1 949 250 0541 E [email protected] W www.ghd.com
Not to Scale
Note: Facility locations are conceptual only and are subject to change throughout the CEQA, permitting and final design process.Aerial Photo: Google imagery
PROJECT STUDY AREA
DANA POINT, CADOHENY DESALINATION PROJECT
SLANT WELL INTAKE AREA
POTENTIAL CONSTRUCTIONIMPACT AREA
SCWD 30 ACREA PARCELAVAILABLE FOR PLANT SITE
For more information visit scwd.org.
What is the total Desalination project cost?Project cost is estimated at $90 million for building the 4 to 5 MGD plant.
How do you propose to pay for this Desalination Project?SCWD is studying the alternatives for project delivery right now. Alternatives range from a State Revolving Fund loan to a public-private partnership. We are seeking additional stakeholders from area water district and cities. We want to ensure that the process will be open to the public and will include the potential impact on customer rates.
Aren’t there less expensive ways to get more local water?While desalination is not the least expensive water supply, it has the advantages of being drought-proof and local. Imported water, while somewhat less expensive now, is estimated to exceed the cost of desalinated water in future years.
Why not invest more money in recycling water?A leader in recycled water, SCWD already produces close to 1 MGD of recycled water each year. In our district, recycled water is used to irrigate a variety of golf courses, homeowner association landscaping, and parks. That is enough water to provide 2,000 families with water each year — water that would otherwise be imported. But it is not enough.
Why can’t we just conserve more?Thanks to our customers, SCWD continues to meet our governor’s mandate to conserve. We have reduced our district-wide consumption by 26 percent. However, even if we achieved significantly more than that, it would be insufficient to meet our water supply requirements. Furthermore, our customers have made significant conservation investments and will experience difficulties in meeting the additional calls for conservation.
Doesn’t desalination use too much energy?Desalination is energy intensive, but so is transporting our water from hundreds of miles away. New technologies continue to be developed to make desalination more energy friendly. From solar energy to forward osmosis, renewable technologies, and many other technologies, researchers from across the world are racing to make desalination less energy intensive.
Why not use local aquifers?In South Orange County, we have only one rather small underground basin known as the San Juan Basin, which has been heavily dependent on whether it rains. Methods of recharging this Basin have been identified and decisions on pursuing alternatives will be made in the near term. SCWD is one of four members of the San Juan Basin Authority working these concepts.
Frequently Asked Questions
A technician installs a well casing screen, part of the test slant well installation at Doheney Beach.