Poseidon

Opponents of the proposed Poseidon desalination plant walked out of City Hall last week with a major victory, their biggest since Huntington Beach leaders turned down the plan's environmental report in December 2003. Unfortunately for them, the City Hall was across the Santa Ana River in Costa Mesa, and the vote didn't doom entirely the $250-million plant, which has come back from its earlier defeat. But the Costa Mesa decision not to allow Poseidon to put six miles of pipeline through that city is a crushing blow, one that certainly cannot help but weigh on Huntington Beach leaders as they decide on the future of the proposal at their Nov. 21 meeting.

All eyes seem to be on City Councilman Don Hansen as the controversial Poseidon project heads toward round two at City Hall. One of the four yes votes that approved the desalination plant's environmental report, Hansen has been the target of anti-Poseidon groups angry over the council's Sept. 6 decision. In e-mail forums and online discussion groups, Hansen has been crowned the swing vote for the next public hearing. "He's put himself in a very precarious position," land activist Ed Kerins said.

Supporters of the Poseidon desalination plant scored a major victory Tuesday night when the Huntington Beach City Council narrowly approved an environmental report on the project during a marathon meeting at City Hall. Just before 3:30 a.m., the council voted 4-3 to certify the environmental impact report on the proposed $250-million desalination facility to be built behind the AES plant on Pacific Coast Highway and Newland Street. The plant is said to be capable of creating 50 million gallons of drinking water per day from the sea. "This is by no means a done deal," Councilman Don Hansen said, arguing that the project must still go through a permitting process more rigorous than Tuesday's hearing.

Plenty is being read into the Huntington Beach City Council's narrow 4-3 decision to approve the environmental report for the Poseidon desalination plant. Some say it looks likely that the same majority will OK the final project later this fall. Others think the plan might get derailed, if not by the council then by the California Coastal Commission. All that will remain conjecture until the council's decision. What shouldn't happen now is for too much to be read into what already has happened.

John Volo It was late Sunday afternoon as my buddy Tod chauffeured John and I down a congested Main Street toward the pier. There was nary a sidewalk seat to be had at any of the restaurants in the 200 block. Summer was here in full force. Everyone was basking, laughing, eating and drinking. The three of us had spent the entire weekend coaching and watching our kids play baseball in the torturously hot sun. We needed someplace to chill out; someplace cool inside, someplace less crowded, someplace with ice-cold beer, someplace just off Main Street.

John F. Scott A beach report last week stated that beaches in Huntington Beach at Brookhurst Street and at Newland Street were closed for 500 feet up coast and 500 feet down coast. In light of this ongoing problem, the decision by the Planning Commission to certify the Poseidon environmental report is disappointing and incomprehensible. Huntington Beach has a pollution problem on local beaches that has defied the best efforts of scientists to correct the problem.

What's an extra few weeks? In the case of the coming City Council discussion about the proposed Poseidon desalination plant, a few weeks equals a whole lot of community good will -- and a simple case of a political decision-making done right. By agreeing last week to stick with a Jan. 9 hearing on the controversial proposal to build a $250-million desalination plant behind the AES power plant, the council gave the proper priority to this critically important decision. It obviously is not one that should be made in haste or at a time, such as during the holidays, when members of the community might be inclined to stay away from the meeting.

In regards to the Poseidon project, I have not seen, heard or read any scientific evidence that the project will have any major negative effects on the ocean. Beyond that, several issues come to mind: The project conforms to all city codes and ordinances, and the company is not requesting any exceptions or variances. This is a company that wants to come to town and produce a product from raw materials. It is not any different from private companies that take crude oil from the earth and convert it to gasoline, or from companies that take gas and make electricity -- both are natural resources no different than sea water.

Jenny Marder A Poseidon official assured the Planning Commission Tuesday that a new desalination plant would be quiet, unobtrusive and odor free. "I think it will be a very quiet and discrete neighbor," said Bill Owens, vice president of the Poseidon Resources Corp. "It's low impact and it won't be very noisy." At a presentation at the commission's study session on Tuesday night, Ricky Ramos, the city's associate city planner unveiled site plans and landscaping designs for the proposed plant.

The Huntington Beach City Council decided Monday not to send a group letter to the state Coastal Commission opposing a proposed desalination plant for fear they may be sued. Councilman Jim Katapodis' substitute motion to allow individual council members a chance to submit their own letter instead of as a group passed 4-3, with Mayor Connie Boardman, Councilwoman Jill Hardy and Councilman Joe Shaw dissenting. The original intent of the item — introduced by Boardman — was to send the California Coastal Commission a letter asking them to deny Connecticut-based Poseidon Resource's coastal development permit.

Huntington Beach Mayor Connie Boardman wants to send a letter asking the California Coastal Commission to deny Poseidon Resource's permit application. She will be asking council members Monday to allow her to write the commission addressing "substantial issues" found in the desalination plant producer's application. Boardman initially wrote a lengthy letter that included the Coastal Commission's opinions in its 2010 appeal. That letter was mentioned in the City Council agenda for its May 1 meeting but it has since been shortened to simply ask commissioners to deny Poseidon's request, she said.

An application to build a desalination plant in Huntington Beach is incomplete, according to a state agency. The California Coastal Commission's staff sent Poseidon Resources Corp. an April 22 notice saying its application to build a facility that converts seawater into freshwater fails to answer questions about how it would impact the nearby wetlands, among other issues. Stamford, Conn.-based Poseidon, however, says it has answered all previous inquires related to the proposed project on Pacific Coast Highway near Newland Street and has completed the application.

[The Huntington Beach] Poseidon Desalination plan is a boondoggle plan like every one they have proposed since Tampa Bay [in Florida]. They sold the idea of a desalination plant to the Huntington Beach City Council by promising it would never cost the city rate payers because Poseidon was paying for the entire desal plant themselves. Now, they are planning on floating a bond. They blamed Tampa Bay [for operational problems] because they claimed Tampa didn't let them finish the project.

A group of Huntington Beach residents protested at Mesa Water District's meeting Tuesday night, trying to stop the district from working with Poseidon Resources. To Mesa Water District President James Fisler's surprise, about 10 people were in attendance to voice their disapproval on the district's transparency of its operations and its decision to form a desalination advocacy group called CalDesal, which some from the protest group say has ties with Poseidon, which is building a plant in Huntington Beach.

Negotiations between Poseidon Resources and various city and water agencies are underway in hopes to determine potential bidders of desalinated water. Poseidon Resources, which have had talks with the city of Huntington Beach about building a desalination plant, have released a draft outline that explains the parameters of the project, including the cost to purchase the water it produces. Cities and water agencies can now submit non-binding letters of intent to Poseidon, giving the business a better understanding of the demand of desalinated water, Poseidon spokesperson Brian Lochrie said.

Poseidon is turning its focus to Huntington Beach. With the completion of financing issues for its Carlsbad Desalination Project, Poseidon Resources will focus on obtaining the final permit necessary from the California Coastal Commission to bring a desalination plant to Huntington Beach, according to a company news release. The Poseidon plant is expected to convert seawater into drinkable water to provide a steady supply for Orange County. According to a previous Independent story, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board in February renewed a five-year permit allowing the Poseidon plant to draw in water from neighboring AES power plant's pipes as well as directly from the ocean.

Poseidon Resources officials are protesting a local activist's complaint to the Fair Political Practices Commission, saying the company has not used or paid a consultant named in the complaint. Merle Moshiri, the president of Residents for Responsible Desalination, filed a complaint in March against John Foley, the board chairman of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Moshiri claims Foley neglected to report more than $600,000 in income that his wife, Mary Jane Foley, received from consulting she did for private and public water companies, including Poseidon.

A state commission has reiterated its concern that the site for Poseidon Resources' proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant may contain wetlands. The California Coastal Commission, in a March 20 letter to Poseidon, requested a number of documents it called necessary to complete the Connecticut-based company's application for a coastal development permit. Among the requested items are data sheets that would indicate whether the land contains wetlands. The commission also asked for a tour with Poseidon officials, which it previously requested in May. Poseidon spokesman Brian Lochrie acknowledged that the company had not yet arranged a site visit.

An official with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board said he knew of no plans to have the board rescind its vote on Poseidon Resources' permit to build a desalination plant, despite rumblings in the community that one member's participation amounted to a conflict of interest. An article on the nonprofit investigative website Voice of OC noted that Fred Ameri, who joined in the Poseidon vote in February, was a senior vice president for RBF Consulting before he retired earlier this month.