Facts You Should Know

because the truth matters more than ever

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COST FACTS

  • South Coast Water District has only 12,200 ratepayers
  • Each ratepayer pays almost 20% of their property taxes to SCWD
  • SCWD estimates the total cost of the proposed desal project will be $120 million
  • The debt service on the proposed desalination project will cause a significant increase in property taxes
  • Every desalination plant ever built has gone over budget by four or five times the estimated amount
  • Carlsbad’s desal plant was proposed to cost $320 million but the final price tag was over $900 million
  • The plant built in Monterey, CA is now abandoned because it’s too expensive to run
  • Upwards of $10 million of ratepayers money has been spent on consultants so far
  • The proposed plant will produce water several times more expensive than purchased water
  • SCWD cannot secure any other district partners because of the projects prohibitively high cost and its unsustainable nature

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTS

  • SCWD cannot secure any other district partners because of the projects prohibitively high cost and its unsustainable nature
  • SCWD did not explore any other water producing or saving alternatives before committing ratepayers to this project
  • The proposed slant-well is untested and experimental at best
  • SCWD has not secured any permits to build the plant
  • The proposed plant will use close to 40% of the City of Dana Point’s entire energy usage at full capacity
  • Desalination has been named by MIT and United Nations as bad for the environment because it creates more waste (for our delicate ocean eco-system) than useable product
  • During an emergency, such as an earthquake or wildfire, our power supply is likely to fail rendering the desal plant unusable
  • The proposed plant will not produce usable water for at least 18-months after treatment begins
  • Over 20% of the Monterey plants’ treated water had to be returned to the San Juan Water Basin
  • Water from Dana Point Harbor, where it is proposed to site the slant-wells, is contaminated with heavy metals from boats (zinc anodes, lead paint etc.)
  • Once the harbor revitalization begins, heavy metals will be released into the water that were buried during the original harbor excavation and construction
  • Toxic discharge from desalination is proven to kill ocean life
  • Desalination is unsustainable because of its huge carbon footprint