The Laguna Beach County Water District Board of Directors voted 4-1 to approve the cost share agreement for Phase 1 of the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project.
The Doheny Ocean Desalination Project aims to create a new, reliable, local, and drought-proof water supply capable of producing up to five million gallons per day (MGD). By providing an essential emergency water source, the project aims to enhance South Orange County’s resilience against natural disasters. Leveraging existing infrastructure will significantly reduce costs and construction impacts and facilitate desalinated water delivery. Operation is scheduled to begin in 2028.
As part of the cost share agreement, LBCWD has committed to funding 20 percent of the costs associated with developing the five MGD Doheny Ocean Desalination Project. This financial commitment equals approximately $2.58 million, reflecting LBCWD’s share of 1 MGD of the plant’s total capacity. This makes LBCWD the second partner in the project, following Eastern Municipal Water District’s commitment in December 2023.
“Desalination is how we achieve local reliability in Laguna Beach,” the LBCWD Board vice president, Alex Rounaghi said.
President Sue Kempf echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of proactive infrastructure investment, “We’ll never be sorry that we planned ahead.”
South Coast Water District Director Bill Green and General Manager Rick Shintaku were present to answer questions from both the board and the public. Topics of discussion included the plant’s power redundancy and the potential regional impact of the desalination project.
The next steps for the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project include presenting the cost share Agreement to the city of San Clemente in September. San Clemente’s approval will render the agreement effective and allow SCWD to proceed with the final approval from its board and awarding the Progressive Design Build Operate Maintain contract.
Laguna Beach remains the only South County city without recycled water for routine irrigation and wildfire protection. Instead of recycled water, we discharge 2 million gallons of secondary sewage just 1.5 miles offshore (1/2 billion gallons annually).
Ocean desal is very energy intensive compared to recycled water.
Let’s stop using the ocean as our toilet and upcycle wasted wastewater for local beneficial reuse.
Thank you..this is logical, however, Bob Whalen wants to get a bond and go through desalination plant, I don’t want to drink water when Bob Whalen for all this time never fixed our sewage issues, only put the bandaids on and just let it go so we can spend money on signs and promenade’s and all the things that are very secondary to our existence. On top of that, I know the opinion is not popular here in L.B. but we will always have water, Check out your gov re-engineering, Haarp and direct energy weapons that are affecting our state and country. Climate Change, nah..do the research people.