The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Voice of OC. The views expressed here are not those of Voice of OC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2018
Contact: Brian Lochrie
949-294-8269
Public Policy Institute of California: 60% of Likely Voters Say State’s Water Supply is a “Big Problem”
Huntington Beach, CA – One week after the Orange County Water District voted to approve a non-binding term sheet to purchase 56,000-acre feet per year from the proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) published a new public opinion survey finding that six out of ten California likely voters say that our state’s water supply is a “big problem” that needs to be addressed.
Statewide public opinion surveys consistently show that seawater desalination is one solution that has broad-based support across demographic and political lines throughout the state. In a 2017 survey conducted by Tulchin Research on behalf of the William C. Velasquez Institute, 90 percent of California voters are in favor of water desalination and an overwhelming majority want to see the state approve more desalination plants.
In 2015, the largest, most technologically advanced and environmentally sound desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere came on line in Carlsbad, California. The plant has produced 33 billion gallons of drinking water to date and been designated bythe state as a ”climate resilient” water supply, a historic regulatory designation thatprotects San Diego County against state-imposed water restrictions.
Support for seawater desalination has grown over the years. In 2006 the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) conducted a public opinion research survey that indicated that 58% of Californians supported building desalination plants on the California coast, while just under a third (31%) opposed. In July of 2017 the PPIC re-asked the same question and now 68% of Californians reported supporting desalination (a 17% increase in support) and opposition dropped to 25% (a 19% drop).
Californians are increasingly concerned about where their next drop of water is coming from and more and more are looking west to the Pacific Ocean to serve as a part of the solution.
Read full press release here.
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Poseidon Water specializes in developing and financing water infrastructure projects, primarily seawater desalination and water treatment plants in an environmentally sensitive manner. These projects are implemented through innovative public-private partnerships in which private enterprise assumes the developmental and financial risks. For more information on Poseidon Water and the Huntington Beach desalination facility, visit http://HBfreshwater.com
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