Huntington Beach Desalination Plant to Preserve, Enhance and Restore Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., July 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with the operation of its proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a final draft permit on June 30th that requires Poseidon Water to assume responsibility for the preservation, enhancement and restoration of the Ecological Reserve (Bolsa Chica) wetlands. The Regional Board is scheduled to vote on the Permit July 30th.

This preservation action – helping maintain a functioning ocean inlet – is the lifeblood of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve wetlands, which is the largest saltwater marsh between Monterey Bay and the Tijuana River Estuary and home to two state-designated Marine Life Protection Areas. Additional enhancement and restoration plans implemented by Poseidon will expand the footprint and function of the historic wetlands.

Bolsa Chica, owned by the state of California, is an approximately 1,500-acre coastal estuary located in Huntington Beach, Orange County, California. The Bolsa Chica wetlands serve a variety of vital functions including; natural flood control, organic water purification, land erosion control, as well as providing migratory flyways for birds through Orange County and critical habitats to over 1,100 species, including 50 endangered fish and wildlife species. More than 30,000 people visit the Reserve each year for recreational activities, educational tours, and wildlife watching.

While much work has been done to restore and maintain the wetlands, the funds earmarked to preserve the wetlands have been depleted. California has already lost 91 percent of its wetlands - more than any other state - and the Bolsa Chica Lowlands are the last remaining large-scale wetlands in the state south of Monterey.

According to a November 2018 Orange County Register report ("Crucial dredging at Bolsa Chica Wetlands could run out of money"), "Money earmarked for dredging at the state reserve in Huntington Beach will be exhausted by 2020….When the inlet was opened in 2006 for the first time in more than a century, a trust fund was established to pay for periodic dredging. But sand migrating along the coast filled in the inlet, located at the south end of the wetlands, more rapidly than expected. The trust fund's interest earnings have not been able to keep up."

The California State Lands Commission has identified the Bolsa Chica wetland site in as an underfunded restoration project in need of additional funds to maintain the high value habitat that was created. Given its close proximity to the proposed desalination project area, the State Lands Commission has found Bolsa Chica would be an ideal candidate for this type of mitigation derived funding augmentation.

"Bolsa Chica wetlands is an example of a restoration project in need of a sustainable, long-term source of funds to maintain the high-value habitat that was created by the state," said Bolsa Chica Conservancy CEO Patrick Brenden. "State Lands Commission funds dedicated to maintaining Bolsa Chica and its ocean inlet have been exhausted and the Commission is now forced to rely on an annual appropriation of state funds. This is not a sustainable solution," he said.

Fortunately, there is a viable long-term solution. On July 30, 2020 the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board is scheduled to renew its permit for the proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project which includes a condition that facility owner Poseidon Water preserve, restore and enhance the Bolsa Chica wetlands for the operating life of the desalination plant. The tremendous significance of the opportunity is captured in a short video that can be found here or www.bolsachica.org > Save The Bolsa Chica Inlet.

Absent the implementation of Poseidon's Bolsa Chica preservation plan, there is no identified long-term funding source to ensure this valuable coastal habitat is preserved and enhanced in the future. The desalination project now qualifies as providing multiple public benefits – a climate resilient, drought-proof drinking water supply and an environmental preservation project that will enhance the largest coastal wetlands complex in the Southern California Bight and one of the state's critical Marine Protected Areas.

SOURCE Poseidon Water

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