Overview of Santa Cruz desalination project published

A new two-page factsheet on the proposed desalination project for the Californian City of Santa Cruz and Soquel Creek Water District (SCWD) has been published by the agencies.

The 2.5 MGD (9,500 m³/d) scwd² Regional Desalination Project factsheet includes a general overview of the project components, preliminary cost estimates, and the latest on the environmental review process. It provides information on why desalination was selected for further evaluation by the city and SCWD.

Copies of the fact sheet and be downloaded from the project website.

On 21 April 2012, scwd² hosted an information booth at the Earth Day Santa Cruz event. The project officials were seeking to reach out to the community, discuss the proposed project and answer questions.

One of the most frequent questions concerned two ballots relating to the project. The first, made into an ordinance by the city, requires environmental review of the desalination project to be completed prior to a public vote and does not prohibit the City from appropriating funds necessary to undertake environmental analysis studies or to otherwise continue to analyze the proposed desalination plant’s construction, operation, costs and financing.

The second, proposed by a community group which is collecting signatures, wants a vote on desalination at a municipal election in November 2012 prior to any further action on the project.