Clear support for desalination in Soquel Water District

Seventy per cent of people in California’s Soquel Creek District support desalination as an “excellent” or “good” option for addressing the water supply needs of the area, according to a survey carried out for the district.

The proportion of those who think the water supply problem can be resolved though conservation only has fallen from 31% in a 2010 poll to 19% now.

The survey of 301 registered voters in the Soquel Creek Water District shows high levels of awareness and concern about water supply issues, and a strong majority in favor of finding new water sources to help alleviate the water shortages. Around 70% believe that “inadequate water supplies for future needs” is a “very” serious problem facing the county, up from 38% in the 2010 survey.

Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, who carried out the survey, advised the district that, “if desalination is an option that the District may pursue, it will be helpful to ensure that local decision makers understand that, while opposition stalled the project in Santa Cruz, the survey shows broad support for it in the District”.