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Is there really a drought?
October 27th, 2009 Categories: Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO- I have written in blog about my feelings towards water and its importance to our future. I am in full support of the new desalination plant that will be built in Carlsbad and would 
have no problem allowing the city of San Diego to hook me up to the toilet to tap network that has been proposed for years.
Now I know this will not sit well with many and I understand and respect that. However if this you, you need to take action now as our county supervisors are keenly aware that housing provides a huge portion of the economic fuel the San Diego economy needs to keep going and they are willing to sacrifice a lot for the money. In order to increase revenues, we need more homes for more property tax dollars and more construction also brings additional revenue through permits, taxes and fees. Reminds me of the Guns N Roses lyric;
I used to do a little, but a little wouldn’t do it, So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin’ to get a little better, Said a little better than before- Axl Rose
This week the county planning commission voted to put dollars ahead of natural resources and potential nature related disasters(since most wildfires are caused by us, I won’t call them a natural disaster here).
In a 5-2 vote, the commission voted to recommend the rezoning of 2300+ acres of chaparral covered hillsides off the I-15 near Lawrence Welk’s resort. This zoning change does not allow an increased density change of a few percent, but a change in excess of 750%!!!
Yes with the collective wisdom of 5 commission members, they approved RECOMMENDING a zoning change to the county master plan that would allow the construction of up to 2700 homes from 345. The project would also include commercial areas and graciously parks and 
fire station. This recommendation will go to the county board of supervisors who will have deciding vote.
Water attorney Wes Peltzer spoke against Merriam Mountains at a recent planning commission meeting. He says California is in a crisis and can’t afford water for more homes.
"Which do you need more? Do you need more houses and another commercial development, or do you need water?" Peltzer said- CBS8.com
I spoke with Bob Fry, board member of the Deer Springs Fire district, and he informed me that the predicted water usage of the development upon completion would be 1.3 million gallons a day. Additionally, he was told in a separate meeting that they will not be recycling their waste water or using grey water as building a treatment facility and the additional infrastructure “does not pencil out”. Because of the rural nature of the area, the local treatment facility would not be able to treat the increase of wastewater, so the waste water would be piped to a facility in Carlsbad adding an additional 500,000 gallons of sewage flowing into the Pacific from the facilities outfall pipe.
On the topic of wildfire, a condition placed on the approval is for the developer to create an 
evacuation plan with the help of the local fire district. In my conversation with Mr. Fry we discussed what all of this meant to the fire district. The first thing one needs to understand in this will increase the number of residence in the fire district that takes care of these remote areas from 12,000 to approximately 20,000. When I hear about a evacuation all I can picture is the folks trying to get out of New Orleans. Having ridden extensively through this area on bike rides, many of these existing roads would be backed with 100 cars on them as they are single lane and wind and weave their way through the back country.
I know growth is inevitable, but this is far from managed growth and is actually contrary to the approved county master plan. As opposing commissioner Peder Norby said;
“Why have a General Plan if we approve projects like this?”- San Diego Union Tribune, October 24,2009
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Carlsbad’s desalination plant unanimously approved
August 23rd, 2008 Categories: San Diego County Community News, San Diego county Real Estate News
CARLSBAD– The States Land Commission unanimously approved the desalination project slated to be built on the Encina power plant site in Carlsbad. This was the final regulatory approval the project needed in order to start construction next year with the goal of water production starting in 2011.
The plant, which will produce about 50 million gallons of freshwater from 200 million gallons, will be the largest desalination in the western hemisphere according to Reuters. The 50 million gallons equats to approximately 10% of the San Diego county region current water usage.
With the Carlsbad project receiving final approval, this helps clear the way for approval of approximately 20 other desalination project proposed for the California coast.
Earlier this week the first of what will probably be several legal challenges was rejected by the State Water Resources Control Board. The suit filed by the Surfrider Foundation said plans to minimize environmental damage the plant would cause were 
insufficient.
The Coastal Commission also this month approved a second plant to be built on the Monterey Peninsula to provide water for a development near Cannery Row. This plant is much smaller and will produce about 25,000 a day.
While I believe these projects are necessary and I support the idea, I fear not much good will actually come from them if they are tied to development such as the Monterey project. We need new water sources to help meet our current needs. This is evident by the state’s current drought situation.
“It is easy for Sacramento to put off dealing with the water infrastructure,” Schwarzenegger said. “But as we now see, there is no more time to waste, because nothing is more vital than to protect our economy, to protect our environment, and to protect our quality of life.” -CNN.com, June, 5, 2008
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Carlsbad desalination plant gets coastal commission approval
August 6th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Community News
SAN DIEGO– After a 10+ hour meeting today held at Oceanside city hall, the California coastal commission gave final approval to the desalination plant that was proposed to be built on the Encinas power plant site.
The plant will produce approximately 50 million gallons of freshwater a day from 100 million gallons of seawater. The plant will actually pump in excess of 300 million, what is is not sent through the reverse osmosis process is used to dilute the brine left over from the 
process.
To offset damage to marine life from the plant operation there will be 55.4 acre habitat restoration site to be built in two phases. One the size of Poseidon’s proposed 37 acres in the first two years and then an additional 18.4 acres added within the next five years.
With regard to a carbon offsets requirement, Poseidon stated that they will use as much solar power as possible. Also, there may be an actual carbon reduction if you take in to account that pumps, theoretically, will no longer be necessary to bring 50 million gallons of water to San Diego daily from northern California.
As usual we had the Sanders v Aguirre thing going on with Mayor Sanders on one side and the city attorney on the other. It just won’t be regional politics with out it.
“We must diversify our region’s water-supply portfolio,” said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. “We cannot conserve our way out of the water crisis.”
San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre testified in opposition to the project, arguing that it was the wrong approach to solving the region’s water shortage.
“The primary way to gain new water is through reclamation,” he said, referring to the process by which waste water is converted back into drinking water.”– San Diego Union, 8/5/2008
The project now goes to the California State Lands commission which next meets August 22nd in Los Angeles. If approved then, expext construction on the project to start in mid 2009.
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San Diego regional Mayors back Carlsbad Desal Plant
August 2nd, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Community News
SAN DIEGO– Seven regional Mayors, including Carlsbad’s Bud Lewis, got together at Mayor Sander’s office and held a news conference Friday to ask the California Coastal Commission to finalize the conditional permit it approved in November of 2007 for the Carlsbad desalination plant. The plant would be built on the site of the current Encinas power plant which I have written about here and here.
Funny thing, but in one of the posts I have linked above I stated that, while I think the plant needs to be built, it will create an attitude in city government that the Pacific Ocean is an unlimited supply of fresh water and in turn this philosophy will fuel continued area population expansion. Well, that and an economic turnaround.
“First, more building will take place because the thought that the Pacific Ocean is huge and we can always build another plant will permeate the governmental minds.”– Brian Long, 11/18/2007
Well how about this quote from Jerry Sanders from the San Diego Union Tribune article dated 8/1/2007.
“Seawater desalination will provide a drought-proof water supply,” Sanders said
NICE!!!
The commission will be meeting this Wednesday, 9:00 at Oceanside City Hall which is located at 300 N. Coast Highway. I would be VERY surprised if this did not get approved. Besides the water it will add much needed jobs and dollars to our community.
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San Diego looking for drought solutions
June 5th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Community News, San Diego county Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO– “Cutbacks panic landscapers; sales at nurseries dive As dead lawns and fallow fields replace yellow ribbons as a sign of patriotism in this parched state, local nurseries and growers are bewailing the departure of more than one kind of green. Sales to area landscapers are down to “basically nothing,” at one major wholesale nursery, a trend repeated at other outlets.”-San Diego Business Journal, March 1991, Bradley Filkes
So goes the opening of an article in the San Diego Business Journal in their March 1991 member paper. The yellow ribbons were from the Desert Storm under the first President Bush and we were in a drought. Funny thing history.
But not too worry as a solution was found in 2003!!!
“Despite the recently signed Colorado River water transfer deal that would guarantee San Diego County enough water for the next 75 years, city and county water officials, landscape architects, grounds superintendents, 
property managers, builders, business owners, and even entrepreneurs are getting more involved in water conservation.” -San Diego Business Journal 10/27/2003.
Oh really?!!!
On Wednesday Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formally declared a statewide drought and while rationing has not yet begun, it does look large. 
Currently Carlsbad is in the process of building a desalinization plant on the site of the Encinas power plant and I believe this is an excellent idea. The problem is, we can not just continue to farm new sources of water, we need to be more resourceful with the water already in service.
Many communities have already started using reclaimed water for irrigation and in fact can produce more than they are currently able to distribute. The problems currently holding back this resource are financial. With the current stresses facing municipal budgets it may be a while before they can 
get the infrastructure in place to better distribute this water. Additionally, another source of funding for these improvements, development, is out the window right now and growth, well that is just an add stress on the fresh water supply.
This brings to toilet to tap as I have written about before. Yes I know, public perception is against this, but I will be the first in line to take a nice big drink. I trust the technology.
Lastly, the City of San Diego has a conservation website on ways to help save 20 gallons a day, the 20Gallon Challenge. Additionally they are 
offering incentives on everything from toilets to artificial turf.
Much like how $4+ gallon gas has boosted scooter sales, been the death nail of the SUV and slowed cars down on the freeway to increase fuel mileage, what is it going to take to change our attitudes about our water supply?
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Water more valuable than oil
November 18th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News
“Oh father, we acknowledge our wastefulness,”.
As of this writing, the city of Atlanta, Georgia and it’s 5 million citizens have 64 days worth of water left. So bad has the problem become that the Governor, Sonny Perdue, led a prayer vigil on the steps of the capital asking for forgiveness for wastefulness and begging for a storm. “We have come together, very simply, for one reason and one reason only: To very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm.”
Carlsbad-The California Coastal Commission recently approved a permit for the construction of a desalination plant in Carlsbad adjacent to the Encina power plant. While unpopular with some environmental group, they have to know this will be a losing battle. The best strategy here is to make nice and become part of the process. I believe Surfrider Foundation is doing exactly that.
Surfrider Foundation has come out stating they are not opposed to desalination plants, but have issues with this particular system.
“Desalination is a hot topic with the current drought we face and less imported water available next year. Please remember that Surfirder is not against desalination in general, we just demand that it is done properly with the best technology available along with limited or no environmental impact. That is where the proposed desal plant in Carlsbad to be run by Poseidon Resources Corp. falls short. This project would be the largest and most damaging ocean desalination facility in the western hemisphere and should not move forward if we want to improve the health of our coastal areas and ocean water quality.”
They also refer to this same position stating “it does not utilize the “best technology available”, but I can not find anywhere where they educate the reader as to the what better technology being used is. They do have a great article on this topic and I strongly agree with a couple, but not limited to, these excerpts.
If the water produced from desal is used to reduce our reliance on imported water and more water then ends up being retained in water source areas to help sustain the environment there, then desal may produce a net environmental benefit. If, on the other hand, the water not taken from these rivers is diverted to other users and the river doesn’t benefit, desal may not result in a net environmental benefit. And if the desal plant fuels new growth along the coast rather than just replacing imported water, it may contribute to environmental degradation. This question of whether water is for “replacement” or “new source” is at the heart of the question of
“growth inducement.”
To me this is a no brainer. The new water should replace a source and the source should benefit. However, I will admit here and now, that I would be smoking crack if I thought this really will be the case. First, more building will take place because the thought that the Pacific Ocean is huge and we can always build another plant will permeate the governmental minds. Additionally the water coming out of the Colorado for our region will just finally go to Nevada to irrigate lawns in Las Vegas. Nevada has never taken their full allotment because we, Californians, were using it.
As with any social choice, the determination to implement desalination facilities should be compared with other alternatives. Some of the possible alternatives include improved water conservation and greater implementation of wastewater reclamation.
I know we are all probably aware of the purple landscape sprinkler and irrigation boxes that signify reclaimed water used to irrigate landscaping, but I am talking toilet to tap here. We have the technology to turn all those flushes back in to the very water that will create the next flush. Sound disgusting? Not to me. I will gladly trust the technology that transfuses blood in time of medical necessity and I will galdly trust the technology to help me save the San Diego region I love.
Believe it or not, this was first reported on by CNN in April of 1997.
If all goes according to plan, by the year 2001, the city’s sewage water will be treated and recycled right into the
drinking tap. “This project is the first of its kind in California,” said Ken Weinberg of the San Diego Water Authority. “We are taking reclaimed water, which is essentially treated waste water, and bringing it back to the point where it is suitable for drinking.”
Imagine how far along we would be if we could have just gotten that first of the morning flush out of our collective heads.
Estimates for the average daily water consumption per person in the US to be 80–100 gallons with the largest use on toilet flushing and bathing/hygiene. There will come a time when we will have to use this technology and the sooner the better.
Over the coming weeks, I will visit this discussion with more specific information, some ways to help conserve water and offers to consumers in the way of rebates to help with your conservation.
If it wasn’t for water, southern California would just be a desert.
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