Regional Desalination Planning
April 4, 2023
By: Benjamin A. Fine, P.E. – Director of Public Works/City Engineer Item 12.C
Background
•City’s Water Supply
2 •Historically reliable
•Past twenty years
•Two historical droughts
•Longer dry periods with wetter wet periods
Options
•Raise Lopez Spillway
•Purchase additional State Water
•Potable reuse
•Diablo Canyon desalination plant
•Desalination
3 Options
•2012 – 2015 Recycled Water Facilities Planning Study
•Secondary – 23 Standards (restricted reuse)
•Disinfected Tertiary Standards unrestricted landscape irrigation •Seawater intrusion barrier only
•Indirect potable reuse
4 Central Coast Blue
•Indirect potable reuse/Seawater intrusion barrier
•Partner agencies
•Arroyo Grande
•Grover Beach•JPA – 2022
•Operational mid 2026
•Production late 2026
5 Why DESAL?
•Central Coast Blue remains our focus
•Near and intermediate term•Started work in 2012
•Eleven years•2019 SLO County IRWM Plan and 2012 Countywide Master Water Report
•Proximity to the ocean
•Regional future
•Quantity
•Quality
•Reliability
6 What?
•County has taken lead to start
•Desalination Executable Solution and Logistics (DESAL) Plan•Feasibility study •Developing a desalination water supply
•Public process
•Contain balanced recommendations
•Responsibly advancing regional Desal project
7 Who?
8 How?
•Five Phased Plan
9 How?
10 When?
11 When?
12 When?
13 Tree WellsConclusion and Recommendations
And Fiscal Impacts
Fiscal Impacts
•No cost in Phase I or II
•Staff time
•Meetings
•Data gathering
15 Conclusion
•SLOCOFCWCD will be lead agency
•Agencies must pass resolution to be included in the plan •Central Coast Blue can adequately address
•Future water supply
•Water Quality•It may be valuable to
•Understand benefits and impacts of regional desalination •Impacts to long-range growth
•Unanticipated climate change impacts•Can opt out at any point 16 Recommendation
•Based on
•Time to develop plan
•Long-term uncertainty in
•Climate
•Water supply
•Staff recommends adoption of a Resolution approving
participation in the County of San Luis Obispo DESAL Plan 17 Questions?