Redwood Shores Desalination Plant a Possibility for Saltworks Water Supply
The city’s consultants on the proposed Cargill/DMB development have explored a multitude of options.
A desalination plant in Redwood Shores could be a source for the Saltworks development's water supply.
courtesy of DMB
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The developers of the proposed Cargill Saltworks development are looking towards desalination as a potential water supply for its future 30,000 residents. It is one of many options the developer is eyeing to make the project feasible.
The location of the potential desalination plant, however, is yet to be determined, but the DMB-funded consultants have begun looking into the Redwood Shores area north of the San Carlos Airport.
In consultant Hart Howerton’s September report, sent to the city monthly, the consultant listed “preliminary investigation of San Carlos Airport Land Use planning for evaluation of requirements for developing the land north of the airport for desalination facilities.”
Bill Ekern, the city’s community development director, added that the city was not looking into site specific locations, but what characteristics a site would need to hold a desalination plant.
The developer hasn’t identified desalination as the definitive water supply in its application, but the city is exploring it as a possibility.
“We’re just trying to be as smart as we can,” Ekern said. The city is also still exploring the possibility of water transfer from Kern County.
The extensive process is a popular source of water treatment around the world, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but not common to the Bay Area.
Josh Sonnenfeld of Save the Bay said he was concerned about potential impacts desalination could have on the surrounding natural habitats.
“We don’t know what the intake of all that water will do to wildlife,” he said. “We can’t assume we can just keep taking water from the Bay forever.”
As part of their desalination analysis, consultants had several conference calls discussing a desalination case in San Rafael, which has run into lawsuits and opposition from environmentalists. The Marin Municipal Water District recently appealed the court’s ruling that the environmental impact report did not adequately study impacts to marine life.
Residents of the city of Santa Cruz have similarly begun protests against a desalination plant by circulating a petition.
On the topic, consultants spoke with Cecily Barclay, from environmental consultant Perkins Cole, who specializes in land development and appropriative water rights. They also worked with Kennedy Jenks, another engineering and environmental consultant. Hart Howerton charged $83,765 for studying desalination up until October.
The consultants have done no further investigation of desalination as a potential water source or any other analysis because DMB Pacific Ventures instructed the city to stop work on the project, according to Ekern. Developers plan to submit a revised application in early 2012.
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Do you think this would be a viable source of water?
Tell us in the comments.
Bob W
7:27 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
There is clearly not enough water to support this project. As a long term resident of Redwood Shores I can assure the developers and the city there would be a very long and expensive legal challenge to siting any desal project here. We simply as a community cannot allow this constant growth in density of poulation without corresponding improvements in infrastructure. If you factor the deficit already in place for over development that has been encouraged by our local political leaders we clearly need to stop all major housing growth now and sort out options, not burden residents further with more unfounded deferred investments that will impair our quality of life. Water is basic and the salt works project is admitting by their studies there is no viable answer.
Lou Covey, The Local Motive
8:37 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Bob, can you clarify your position? First you state there is absolute opposition to improving the infrastructure (that's what a desal plant would be), and then say we have to improve the infrastructure. Or are you saying we need to force people out of the bay area by legislative means? I'm really not clear what your point is.
Roger Brina
11:08 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
There is nothing to clarify here. Bob is clearly stating that it's ridiculous to develop a new community out in the Bay wetlands that would require a desal plant just to maintain its water needs when we already have an infrastructure deficit as it is in our city's communities that already exist.
Peter Adams
10:25 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
I think that is time that we consider changing the well worn quip "Bourbon is for drinking. Water is for fighting over." How about land is for saving. Roads are for fighting over"? We have too many people on 101 as it is. Adding another 30,000?! What are the developers thinking? This is more than simply a quality of life issue. 101 is regularly a parking lot around Oracle. Adding more traffic is simply inexcusable. We cannot build another freeway. Surface roads are clogged. We still don't have flying cars or teleporters. People in the new development are not going to work at home. What research has been done on the impact to the roads?
Roger Brina
11:13 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
The fact that the Saltworks/Cargill development would require either:
1. long-term water removal/desalination, or
2. long-term shipping of water out of Kern County into our own
shows how laughable it is that various parties who are in support of this development are trying to paint it as a "green" venture. There is nothing green about taking water out of SoCal to feed our own, and there is nothing green about wasting energy and emitting tons of carbon in order to pump water out of the Bay and process it for potability/usability.
I can't wait to hear what the "green" developers and the greenwashed front groups have to say about this issue: whatever they come up with, it's bound to be entertaining.
Philippe
12:45 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Isn't the bay water so polluted that it would require not just desalination?
Lou Covey, The Local Motive
1:25 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Phillipe, that a possibility, but we won't know for sure until they do the study. However, as I understand the concept, they would actually pump the water into the natural aquifer and it would've filtered naturally. Again that would have to be studied. anyone who out of hand rejects the concept are kind of like the people who said the wright brothers would never fly.