Water Fears Push SoCal Towards Desalination

Cassie Walker — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:01:49 +0000

With the driest year on record still visible in our review mirror (at least for now) it makes sense that people in Los Angeles and Orange Counties are concerned about their water supply. Meant to measure support for a proposed Huntington Beach desalination facility, a recent poll shows just how concerned they are.

Of the 500 Orange County voters surveyed, only 6.8% believe that there is enough water to supply the county’s needs. Compare that to the 41.2% that realize that there is a water shortage, and that officials need to find new sources of water, pronto. 46% replied that OC has enough for now, but will need to tap more sources to meet future needs.

The survey, sponsored by the Orange County Business Council and the LA/Orange County Building Trades Council, goes on to show that:

33% would support seawater desalination as a means of ensuring adequate water supplies
31% would support conservation measures as a means of ensuring adequate water supplies
12% would support recycled or treated “waste” water

That last one is funny, since they already have a water recycling program. It’s not exactly “toilet to tap” as nay-sayers call it, because the water is purified, then pumped back underground to replenish aquifers. Mother Nature purifies it further, at which point it reenters the fresh water supply and is sent to homes. Disgusting, right? Of course not.

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Water Fears Push SoCal Towards Desalination