Key Focus Areas

Seawater desalination transforms ocean water into drinking water. With its 800+ miles of coastline, many communities in California are uniquely positioned to benefit from seawater desalination to enhance local water reliability and augment imported supplies.

Desalination provides a local, reliable, and sustainable water supply that communities can rely on now and for decades to come, enabling California to continue meeting its growing water needs. Recent technological advances have also made it more sustainable, energy-efficient and less impactful on the environment to turn seawater into drinking water than ever before. In addition, the rising cost of treating and conveying water from other sources has made seawater desalination more economically feasible compared to other new supply alternatives.

Successful seawater desalination projects have been implemented throughout California, including:

• The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant – Located in San Diego County, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant produces 50 million gallons of high-quality drinking water daily – providing about 10% of the region’s total water supply.·
• Catalina Island Desalination Plant – Serving Catalina Island, the recently expanded plant is managed by Southern California Edison and used to supplement local groundwater. It provides much needed supply reliability during dry years.

There are also several desalination projects working their way through the permitting process, including:

• The California American Water Company (CalAm) Desalination Project in Marina
• The Doheny Ocean Desalination Project in Dana Point
• The Huntington Beach Desalination Project
• The West Basin Ocean Water Desalination Project in El Segundo