Huntington Beach Desalination Facility Environmentally Necessary, Tax Facility – Orange County Register
Every day I walk near the ocean, I am reminded how fragile our precious Huntington Beach is. As mayor of Surf City, I am most dedicated to keeping its ecosystem pristine. It is essential for the planet.
And it’s for the enjoyment of our residents – and the millions of visitors who come here each year to relax and enjoy the surf and sand, while patronizing our restaurants and shops.
That’s why I support Huntington Beach’s new desalination facility for our city. It will be located next to the AES power plant off Newland and PCH roads. One of the best features of the new facility is that it will have zero carbon emissions.
Better yet, because it would offset the amount of water generated by carbon-burning water systems to operate, it would actually reduce overall CO2 production across Southern California. It’s also right in our backyard, so there’s no cost – in dollars and greenhouse gas production – to ship H2O down here from Northern California.
The Huntington Beach Desalination facility will be our source of drought-friendly, clean water, protecting us against the recurring droughts in Southern California.
The water from the Huntington Beach facility will quietly pump out crystal clear, desalinated water while we travel the city on business, or as our families frolic on the beach, or surfers catch the waves. and friends enjoy golden sunset.
To mitigate harm, the new plant will also provide $1.5 million per year to continue to open tidal channels in the fragile Bolsa Chica marsh. That would alleviate a major issue that has proved difficult to deal with during my time on City Council since 2014, including during my previous and current mayoral tenure.
I realized that the Bolsa Chica preservation groups were divided at the Huntington Beach desalination facility, with some in favor and some against. But consider this environmentalist a big geek.
And while the environmental benefits of the Huntington Beach desalination facility are significant, I would like to mention that it will promote a wide range of economic activities. It will create 300 permanent jobs with an average salary of more than $130,000 a year.
Construction alone will pump $840 million into Orange County. Annual operation and maintenance will bring in $59 million a year.
And as mayor, I can assure you that, just as inflation reduces your wallet, it increases the cost of all the essential services of the city: police, fire brigade. , parks, roads, etc. Huntington Beach desalination’s tax contributions are significant, starting with $8.58 million upfront. And it will generate $8.6 million per year in property taxes.
Of the $844 million in projected construction costs, 61% are expected to purchase goods and services from local businesses, which will generate more tax revenue.
With crime on the rise around California, I’m especially trying to make sure our police force stays fit. To do that, we need the tax base of the Huntington Beach Desalination facility.
Finally, although Huntington Beach is best known for its luxurious sands, it has also long been a hub of high-tech. When I got here in 1974, Douglas Aircraft was doing the third stage of the Saturn rocket that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon.
The Huntington Beach facility’s advanced desalination technology launches that high-tech legacy to meet future environmental challenges.
Barbara Delgleize is the mayor of Huntington Beach
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/02/08/huntington-beach-desalinations-facility-needed-for-environment-tax-base/ Huntington Beach Desalination Facility Environmentally Necessary, Tax Facility – Orange County Register
