HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA, August 5, 2013 -- An ocean desalination project in the city of Huntington Beach, Calif., is pending for approval by the California Coastal Commission after Orange County's 11-member Sacramento legislative delegation recently submitted a letter of appeal to the organization.
In response to strong bipartisan support, the Coastal Commission is preparing to consider the last permit necessary for the project, which would generate 50 million gallons of drinking water daily.
The August 1 letter states that Orange County's 3 million residents are using less water than ever before, but conservation efforts alone cannot alleviate the region's water shortage. It also credited the Orange County Water District's Groundwater Replenishment System, which has made the county a leader in sustainable water reliability practices.
The letter bears the signatures of Senator Robert Huff, R-Brea , Senator Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, Senator Mimi Walters, R-Irvine, Senator Mark Wyland, R-San Juan Capistrano, Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, R-Costa Mesa, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, Assemblyman Don Wagner, R-Irvine, Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, and Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach.
The letter comes about a week after The Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Directors voted unanimously (8-0) to study the feasibility of purchasing up to the full capacity of the drinking water that will be produced by the proposed Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project.
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