The California Coastal Commission hearing on Poseidon's proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant will take place on Thursday, March 17th.
The hearing will be our best shot at defeating the harmful Poseidon Huntington Beach desalination proposal once and for all. Unlike previous agencies that have ruled on Poseidon, the Coastal Commission has a specific mission of enforcing the Coastal Act to protect our coast. It is clear that the proposed Poseidon seawater desalination plant violates the Coastal Act and California Coastal Commission policies. Of course, Poseidon’s fancy lobbyists will be all over the Coastal Commission and we need your help to push back.
To prepare for the upcoming Coastal Commission, we invite you to attend the next Mobilization Monday, a series put on by Residents 4 Responsible Desalination and Orange County Coastkeeper, leading up to the Commission hearing. These community briefings will be short (less than an hour) but informative and will help prepare all of us to be as effective as we can at the upcoming Coastal Commission hearing.
The first Mobilization Monday community briefing will be Monday, February 21 at 7:00 PM via Zoom.
At the meeting, you will hear from Surfrider California Policy Manager, Mandy Sackett on coastal armoring and sea-level rise. She will explain the details of Poseidon's plan to construct its plant where it would likely be flooded or need sea walls to protect it and what we can do to prevent it. To attend, send an email to Anna at KeepHBDesalFree@gmail.com and she'll share the zoom link.
There are many things wrong with Poseidon desal. It would substantially increase the cost of water, facilitate the dangerous privatization of water, perpetuate industrialization of the coast, is unneeded (yes, even in these times of drought since Poseidon water is super expensive and of less quality than already available water sources), and would decimate the nearby marine environment. Find out more at https://www.californiadesalfacts.org/
Hope to see you at our mobilization meeting on Monday February 21!