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Read & Heed Santa Cruz: Commission slams desal plants, water quick fix a long-term drain
Although many US communities along with France, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and Middle East countries are reassessing the promises, costs, and politics of desalination, the deficit-plagued City of Santa Cruz continues furloughing workers while ramping-up a high-visibility promotional campaign to build a “proposed” $120M+ seawater desal plant.
Ignoring the up-ended 10-yr old assumptions and troubled history of desal, the city council already has spent approximately $10M on the project -- paid out primarily to a costly stable of desal feasibility planners, manufactured water consultants, and PR firms.
Ignoring the up-ended 10-yr old assumptions and troubled history of desal, the city council already has spent approximately $10M on the project -- paid out primarily to a costly stable of desal feasibility planners, manufactured water consultants, and PR firms.
Read & Heed Santa Cruz: Commission slams desal plants, water quick fix a long-term drain
May 16, 2011 – Although many US communities along with France, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and Middle East countries are reassessing the promises, costs, and politics of desalination, the deficit-plagued City of Santa Cruz continues furloughing workers while ramping-up a high-visibility promotional campaign to build a “proposed” $120M+ seawater desal plant.
Ignoring the up-ended 10-yr old assumptions and troubled history of desal, the city council already has spent approximately $10M on the project -- paid out primarily to a costly stable of desal feasibility planners, manufactured water consultants, and PR firms. Not only have elected officials never looked back, there is no alternative back-up plan for addressing the city’s water future if/when the desal facility should not be build. Skeptical residents and ratepayers, however, deserve a city council that applies a lesson-learned, evidence-based approach to make sound decisions and set water policy aligned with the public interest.
While the desal industry and their lobbyists are pushing plant development throughout California, citizen groups and voters are persuading officials to abandon or reshape risky proposals to match local priorities, including aggressive conservation, water exchanges and reuse, water-neutral development, tiered rates, and economic incentives.
No community, including Santa Cruz, should consider seawater desal until all sustainable water supply and management options are fully evaluated, funded, and implemented.
Over the upcoming weeks, I will provide a series of updates concerning what US communities and countries around the world are learning about expensive, energy-intensive desalination as well as the affordable, sustainable water alternatives. Hopefully, this effort will help foster government transparency/ accountability, open discourse, and investigative news reporting
For your information, included are several recent articles from the Australian press. Should you have any questions or need more information, please contact me. Also, go to DesalAlternatives.org.
Paul Gratz
831.426.1150
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Commission slams desal plants
Lauren Wilson - The Australian April 14, 2011
PROLONGED water restrictions and expensive desalination plants are the least efficient way of providing water security, the government's key economic advisory body has found. In a scathing draft report, the Productivity Commission yesterday called for an urgent overhaul of the urban water sector, declaring consumers were paying more than necessary for their water as a result of poor government decision-making. …
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commission-slams-desal-plants/story-fn59niix-1226038739350
More related 2011 coverage:
Desal plant to be mothballed
The Australian, 13 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/desal-plant-to-be-mothballed-after-rainfall/story-fn59niix-1225966036882
Government washes hands of water
Adelaide Now, 13 Apr 20
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/government-washes-hands-of-water/story-e6frea83-1225959690847
Wet blanket over desal plants
The Australian, 14 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/wet-blanket-over-desal-plants/story-e6frg6z6-1226039332011
Cut for desal subsidies
The Australian, 13 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/cut-for-desalination-subsidies/story-e6frgczf-1225890489417
Cities locked into desal plants
The Australian, 1 Mar 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/cities-locked-into-desal-plants-despite-rainfall/story-e6frg97o-1226014388336
More delays hit desal plant
AdelaideNow March 15, 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/more-delays-hit-adelaides-desalination-plant/story-e6frea83-1226021894494
Failed desal deadline costs millions
AdelaideNow, 29 Mar 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/failed-desal-deadline-costs-millions/story-e6frea6u-1226030349162
Desal a $20bn drain on taxpayers
The Australian, 28 Feb 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/victorian-desalination-plant-a-20bn-drain-on-taxpayers/story-fn59niix-1226013811990
Desal plant a $220 million plug
Adelaide Now, 21 Jan 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/desal-plant-a-220-million-plug/story-fn6bqphm-1225992644295
'We're not liable for $427m desal loss'
Herald Sun, 11 Apr 2011
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/desal-plant-months-late/story-e6frf7jo-1226037479201
Desal plant up to 12 months behind
The Australian, 5 Apr 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/victorian-desal-plant-up-to-12-months-behind/story-e6frea73-1226034370031
Cash down waterlogged drain
The Australian, 3 Mar 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/melbourne-water-users-slapped-with-desal-tax-despite-recent-floods/story-fn6t2xlc-1225991438205
Shocking desal plant cost revealed
Herald Sun, 28 Feb 2011
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melburnians-face-rocketing-water-bills-to-pay-for-desalination-plant/story-e6frf7kx-1226013580849
Switch off desal, say water utilities
Herald Sun, 28 Feb 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/switch-off-desal-say-water-utilities/story-e6frg97o-1225889565533
Desal builder 'paid extra millions'
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/adelaide-desalination-plant-builder-adelaideaqua-paid-extra-millions/story-e6frea83-1226030067683
Water's quick fix a long-term drain
22 Jan 2010 | The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/waters-quick-fix-a-long-term-drain/story-e6frg6z6-1225822734703
Desal's $24b lesson still not learnt
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/desals-24b-lesson-still-not-learnt/story-fn6bn88w-1226016132149
Investment in desal lifts water cost
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/investment-in-utilities-drives-up-cost-of-water/story-e6frg97o-1226039377764
Old government backs desalination policy
The Australian, 13 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/queensland-government-defends-desalination-policy/story-fn59niix-1226038942185
May 16, 2011 – Although many US communities along with France, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and Middle East countries are reassessing the promises, costs, and politics of desalination, the deficit-plagued City of Santa Cruz continues furloughing workers while ramping-up a high-visibility promotional campaign to build a “proposed” $120M+ seawater desal plant.
Ignoring the up-ended 10-yr old assumptions and troubled history of desal, the city council already has spent approximately $10M on the project -- paid out primarily to a costly stable of desal feasibility planners, manufactured water consultants, and PR firms. Not only have elected officials never looked back, there is no alternative back-up plan for addressing the city’s water future if/when the desal facility should not be build. Skeptical residents and ratepayers, however, deserve a city council that applies a lesson-learned, evidence-based approach to make sound decisions and set water policy aligned with the public interest.
While the desal industry and their lobbyists are pushing plant development throughout California, citizen groups and voters are persuading officials to abandon or reshape risky proposals to match local priorities, including aggressive conservation, water exchanges and reuse, water-neutral development, tiered rates, and economic incentives.
No community, including Santa Cruz, should consider seawater desal until all sustainable water supply and management options are fully evaluated, funded, and implemented.
Over the upcoming weeks, I will provide a series of updates concerning what US communities and countries around the world are learning about expensive, energy-intensive desalination as well as the affordable, sustainable water alternatives. Hopefully, this effort will help foster government transparency/ accountability, open discourse, and investigative news reporting
For your information, included are several recent articles from the Australian press. Should you have any questions or need more information, please contact me. Also, go to DesalAlternatives.org.
Paul Gratz
831.426.1150
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Commission slams desal plants
Lauren Wilson - The Australian April 14, 2011
PROLONGED water restrictions and expensive desalination plants are the least efficient way of providing water security, the government's key economic advisory body has found. In a scathing draft report, the Productivity Commission yesterday called for an urgent overhaul of the urban water sector, declaring consumers were paying more than necessary for their water as a result of poor government decision-making. …
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commission-slams-desal-plants/story-fn59niix-1226038739350
More related 2011 coverage:
Desal plant to be mothballed
The Australian, 13 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/desal-plant-to-be-mothballed-after-rainfall/story-fn59niix-1225966036882
Government washes hands of water
Adelaide Now, 13 Apr 20
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/government-washes-hands-of-water/story-e6frea83-1225959690847
Wet blanket over desal plants
The Australian, 14 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/wet-blanket-over-desal-plants/story-e6frg6z6-1226039332011
Cut for desal subsidies
The Australian, 13 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/cut-for-desalination-subsidies/story-e6frgczf-1225890489417
Cities locked into desal plants
The Australian, 1 Mar 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/cities-locked-into-desal-plants-despite-rainfall/story-e6frg97o-1226014388336
More delays hit desal plant
AdelaideNow March 15, 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/more-delays-hit-adelaides-desalination-plant/story-e6frea83-1226021894494
Failed desal deadline costs millions
AdelaideNow, 29 Mar 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/failed-desal-deadline-costs-millions/story-e6frea6u-1226030349162
Desal a $20bn drain on taxpayers
The Australian, 28 Feb 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/victorian-desalination-plant-a-20bn-drain-on-taxpayers/story-fn59niix-1226013811990
Desal plant a $220 million plug
Adelaide Now, 21 Jan 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/desal-plant-a-220-million-plug/story-fn6bqphm-1225992644295
'We're not liable for $427m desal loss'
Herald Sun, 11 Apr 2011
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/desal-plant-months-late/story-e6frf7jo-1226037479201
Desal plant up to 12 months behind
The Australian, 5 Apr 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/victorian-desal-plant-up-to-12-months-behind/story-e6frea73-1226034370031
Cash down waterlogged drain
The Australian, 3 Mar 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/melbourne-water-users-slapped-with-desal-tax-despite-recent-floods/story-fn6t2xlc-1225991438205
Shocking desal plant cost revealed
Herald Sun, 28 Feb 2011
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melburnians-face-rocketing-water-bills-to-pay-for-desalination-plant/story-e6frf7kx-1226013580849
Switch off desal, say water utilities
Herald Sun, 28 Feb 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/switch-off-desal-say-water-utilities/story-e6frg97o-1225889565533
Desal builder 'paid extra millions'
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/adelaide-desalination-plant-builder-adelaideaqua-paid-extra-millions/story-e6frea83-1226030067683
Water's quick fix a long-term drain
22 Jan 2010 | The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/waters-quick-fix-a-long-term-drain/story-e6frg6z6-1225822734703
Desal's $24b lesson still not learnt
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/desals-24b-lesson-still-not-learnt/story-fn6bn88w-1226016132149
Investment in desal lifts water cost
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/investment-in-utilities-drives-up-cost-of-water/story-e6frg97o-1226039377764
Old government backs desalination policy
The Australian, 13 Apr 2011
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/queensland-government-defends-desalination-policy/story-fn59niix-1226038942185
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