Desalting Plant Siting Raises Fears

Los Angeles Times ^ | February 12 | Sara Lin

[Willie Green]

Locating desalination facilities next to coastal power generators could extend the use of intakes that kill marine life, environmentalists say.

Standing tall on the seashore, the AES power plant, with its naked steel frame, has long been a generator of electricity in Huntington Beach and a killer of marine life.

For decades, environmentalists have looked forward to the day when AES and other aging coastal power plants would close, eliminating the cooling water pipes that suck in and destroy tons of fish, seals, crustaceans, larvae and microorganisms every year.

But a renewed interest in using old generating stations as bases for turning seawater into drinking water has activists worried that the opportunity for eliminating a chronic environmental problem might slip away.

Like the power stations that precede them, proposed desalination plants in Huntington Beach, Carlsbad and San Onofre would need the large pipes — ranging from 12 to 45 feet in diameter — to draw in ocean water for their operations.

[Willie Green]

Concern over fresh water supply is becoming increasingly common in our nation due to pressures from drought and population growth. Our coastal states are frequently evaluating the viability of desalination systems to provide their fresh water needs. Desalination is an energy intensive process, so it is quite common for these facilities to be built in close proximity to electric power plants. For this reason, it is also reasonable to consider the use of nuclear desalination as a potential option.

[Willie Green]

ping

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Enviromentalists are basically Nihilists.....

[76834]

Solution is simple:
Stop construction on the desalination plant immediately.
Close the power plant down, also immediately.

Stop any similiar plants..

Then we, in the sane states, will take bets on when the people in Calif either die of thirst or freeze to death.

[knarf]

"Standing tall on the seashore, the AES power plant, with its naked steel frame, has long been a generator of electricity in Huntington Beach and a killer of marine life."

Like, what kind of marine life has 'long' been being killed?

[Cold Heat]

I have often found the best fishing near these plants. They create new feeding grounds and sanctuaries.

I don't know what is going on with this one. Sounds fishy!

[rottndog]

"...cooling water pipes that suck in and destroy tons of fish, seals, crustaceans, larvae and microorganisms every year."

While it is true that some marine life is killed by this process, the amount of damage is vastly overstated. And, when you consider how much the discharge of warm water from the heat exchangers actually encourages growth, the net result overall is a huge positive.

[DocRock]

I bet there is an evil SUV hidden in this story somewhere.

[Old Professer]

Willie, almost all municipalities charge more for sewage than supply; the water normally drawn into the treatment plants comes from lakes and streams, all of which have abundant larvae and microorganisms as well and the size of the pipes is calculated by the downstream needs.

If it worries you so much, put out a rain barrel.

[Old Professer]

The little-bitty kind that desn't present itself readily as evidence (lucky for the complainers).

[Old Professer]

Doesn't, sorry.

[Willie Green]

Willie, almost all municipalities charge more for sewage than supply;

I've never seen a home with a sewage meter.

[Rocketman]

eliminating the cooling water pipes that suck in and destroy tons of fish, seals, crustaceans, larvae and micro-organisms every year.

Ussual drivel these pipe have huge mesh screens over the ends of them. Scratch the seals unless they are unviable seal fetuses. The "fish" would be guppy and neon sized and the pipes are large so there is not some 900 knot pull. These pipes are not giant vaccum cleaners.

So we are left with larvae and micro-organisms Larvea is local to where the pipe is it does not dredge a hundred square acres or even 10 square acres

Desalinization plants need to go in the coast, it is cost teffective since they uses lot of power to go right next to a power plant. Most of the Cal coast is beach and homes -- so if they were to relinquisgh the desalinization plants location in what is zoned heavy indistrial -- where would the environmentalists say the plant would be OK.

I propose a law that for these organizations, that if they try to block a location that they may be made to provide three locations that are acceptable to them and the umbrella of organizations they are assc. with. -- And that they would have to do a peliminatory study of each of the area's to verify that they are OK.

As things stand there is no good faith -- they san just say hate it and walk and when the next site is readied costing tens of millions they come again and say hate it.

And a second law for environmental groups -- proof that they are what the ysay they are no less tahn 30% of their take has to go into improvements of public parks and lands

A cab compmay has to have the things consistant of a Taxi business. Make it so there can be no lobbying groups and environmental groups that don't walk and chew gum.

Talk about a change in how business is done!

[catpuppy]

Like, what kind of marine life has 'long' been being killed?

Now it can be told: THE LOBSTER THAT WOULD NOT DIE!

The shocking truth about sea creatures that cannot be killed ...

[SC Swamp Fox]

In the city in which I live they base your sewage bill on your water usage. Their assumption is that all of the water that went into your house also came out.

If a homeowner doesn't want to pay the sewer fee for water that they use in their yard the homeowner can pay to have a separate meter on their yard spigots to meter the water that does not go into the sewer.

Our sewer fees are higher then our fresh water fees.

[sgtbono2002]

You have to put this in perspective, Which is more important, supplying fresh water to humans or sucking in a few Minnows.

[DTogo]

Yep! That's where my brother-in-law and I used to go fishing. He would always position his boat straight out from that power plant (or the nuclear one further south) and scout out the "exhaust" pipe on sonar.

[Wonder Warthog]

"I've never seen a home with a sewage meter."

Uh, it's your water meter. What goes in has to come out. They just assume 100% conversion.

[Old Professer]

Look on your water bill; the sewage charge is a multiplier.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Then we, in the sane states, will take bets on when the people in Calif either die of thirst or freeze to death.

Not real familiar with California, are you? We may die of thirst, but I can assure you we'll not freeze. For example, my stores run the ACs six-eight months per year, but we never use the heaters.