Carlsbad seawater desalination project moves ahead

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A long-delayed seawater desalination project on the Southern California coast got a major boost Thursday when the San Diego County Water Authority agreed to buy the water produced by the proposed Carlsbad plant.

The authority’s board approved a 30-year purchase agreement with the plant’s developer, Poseidon Resources, which still has to obtain financing for the project.

The plant, which would annually produce enough water to supply 112,000 homes, would be the largest seawater desalination facility in the country.

The water authority has for years tried to lessen its dependence on supplies imported by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. But independence is not coming cheaply. When the cost of new distribution pipelines is included, the desalination supplies will cost $2,041 to $2,290 an acre foot -- more than double the cost of water from Metropolitan.

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-- Bettina Boxall