Victory for Protecting Our Oceans From Desalination

“In what amounts to a victory for protecting our oceans, the California State Land Commission determined today that Poseidon Resources, a private corporation based in Connecticut, has failed to provide an adequate analysis of the potential environmental harms from its proposed ocean water desalination plant in Carlsbad, California.

“The proposed plant, which would be located just north of San Diego, would be the largest ocean water desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. It would emit a large amount of global warming pollution, kill marine life sucked in through its pipes, and discharge extremely salty water back into the ocean, potentially upsetting the ocean’s ecological balance. The Commission delayed voting for the proposal today, saying that Poseidon had not adequately evaluated these potential effects.

“The fight to protect water as a public resource has added a new frontier. Private water corporations have set their sights on ocean water desalination as a new way to privatize a public resource without regard to the potential impacts on public or ocean health. Today’s action by the California State Lands Commission rejects this approach and should send a clear signal that dirty desalination plants, like Poseidon’s, are unacceptable.”

Contact:
Zach Corrigan or Erin Greenfield
(202) 797-6550

Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.

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