TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Marisa Lundstedt, Community Development Director
Tony Olmos, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:Title
Letter Opposing Construction of a Water Desalination Plant by West Basin Municipal Water District (Community Development Director Lundstedt/Public Works Director Olmos).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
City Council authorization for the Mayor to sign the attached letter opposing construction of a water desalination plant by West Basin Municipal Water District.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
BACKGROUND:
The West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) has initiated the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the construction of a potential new desalination plant located in the City of El Segundo. An alternative location for a desalination plant will also be evaluated in the EIR within the City of Redondo Beach.
On October 6, 2015, City Council directed staff to prepare a letter opposing the desalination project and also authorized staff to seek EIR expertise as needed.
DISCUSSION:
West Basin proposes the Ocean Water Desalination Project ("Project" or "OWDP") in order to produce between 20 and 60 million gallons per day (MGD) of potable drinking water. The 20 MGD capacity (the "Local Project") is the minimum capacity needed to meet the West Basin service area's future water demands at a local scale, consistent with West Basin's UWMP and Water Reliability 2020 Program objectives to reduce dependence on imported water. The 20 MGD capacity will be evaluated at a sufficient level of detail in order to allow subsequent regulatory permitting and construction. The OWDP EIR will also evaluate one or more "Regional Projects" of up to 60 MGD capacity, in order to address water demands at a regi...
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