Malibu Blasts Proposed Westside Desalinization Plant
Written by 991KBU on November 21, 2019
The concept of building a seawater desalinization plant that would serve Malibu and other Westside cities go before the Malibu city council on Monday.
Some surfer groups and other environmentalists are strongly opposed to the project.
The proposed desalination project would be located down the coast … south of L A X.
It would draw salt water from the ocean … and then use membrane filtration and reverse osmosis to produce between 20 to 60 million gallons per day of drinking water.
Concentrated salt water would then be sent back to the ocean.
The city is already on record as opposed to the desalinization plant.
The city says the cost of water produced by seawater desalination is four to eight times higher than alternative sources.
The City says its water demand can be met by less expensive sources of water …. including water conservation, water efficiency, stormwater capture, and water recycling.
There are whole list of city objections … including significant energy impacts.
The desalinization plant is proposed by the west basin water district … the wholesale water agency that supplies water to the County water District thsat serves Malibu.
In other words …. Malibu doesn’t have a vote on the issue.
