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Brandman, Green, Maloni and Sheldon.
The Orange County Water District is supposed to represent best the interests of its 2.4 million ratepayers, not become an extension of developers who want to take a profit from the public trough.
But over the years, the OCWD Board of Directors majority has consistently and relentlessly pushed the proposed publicly subsidized $1 billion ocean desalination plant for Huntington Beach proposed by Poseidon Water, a subsidiary of Brookfield Assets, a huge multinational corporation. They have done so through biased public hearings, biased studies that were specifically precluded from considering alternatives and whether a real need for the project exists or not, and through illegal secret meetings held with Poseidon representatives calling the shots (as revealed in articles I wrote for the Surf City Voice).*
The Poseidon project would produce 56,000 AF of water a year and replace an equal amount of cheaper water the OCWD currently imports to refill the Santa Ana River groundwater basin to safe levels after (often excessive) depletion caused by groundwater production by its 19 agencies or “producers.” But the price of Poseidon’s water would be 3 to 4 times greater than the imported water, which would be freed up for use by other districts outside of OCWD jurisdiction—those districts will be subsidized by OCWD at the rate of the price difference.
The following video was taken on Dec. 6, 2019 at a public workshop held in Huntington Beach by the Santa Ana State Regional Water Quality Control Board which will vote in April on whether to issue needed permits for the project:
A quorum of 8 out of 10 OCWD board members attended the meeting and several of them stood with Poseidon during its 20 minutes of time allotted by the Regional Board to make its case for the project. OCWD president and vice-president Vincent Sarmiento and Cathy Green (respectively) spoke of the supposed benefits of the Poseidon project, often with dishonest and misleading claims, as if the passage of a contract between the company and OCWD was a done deal, pending approval of state permits.
The collection of OCWD board members at the Regional Board meeting, acting no less as an official arm of Poseidon Resources during the company’s allotted time, raises ethical and legal questions about impartiality and Brown Act violations, such as holding in effect its own public meeting (within the Regional Board’s meeting) without notice, public comments, etc.
Watch as Scott Maloni, Poseidon’s VP for marketing, kicks project-opponent/OCWD board director Kelly Rowe off the podium platform, stating (as reported to me), “You’re not going to speak on my time” and then brings paid Poseidon lobbyist Barbara Boxer to the podium.
Could it be any clearer who the OCWD BOD really represents?
It seems that from now on it would be more appropriate to refer to the Orange County Water District as the Poseidon Water District of Orange County.
*The Surf City Voice, at www.surfcityvoice.com, was recently hacked and its contents destroyed. While the site is under restoration, all past articles about Poseidon can still be read on the wayback machine at www.waybackmachine.com. Type www.surfcityvoice.com in the search box and click on anywhere along the timeline that pops up. From the left column, you can click on the links to monthly archives and read the articles.
*Fear, the Final Frontier. Does it really matter that Poseidon is going to charge 10 Times what you can drink out of the plastic hose? Does it really matter that the quality of the drinking water in the aged pipes of Orange County doesn’t even make sense to wash your hands with? Ah, we are just Alarmists no doubt. Just people stuck on buying Organic, when they use bad water to make those crops grow. Just people stuck on the fact that the bread sucks in this country because of the water. Just people stuck on the fact that the milk sucks in the country because of the water. Just people stuck and anal about trying to stay alive as long as possible. Oh well, at least we can congratulate the OCWD for bringing Poseidon into the game….so they can divert that water into the gated communities at least…eh? Just say cryptosporidium and perchorlates in a very dark room and hear the groans and screams!
Yes, it matters.
This project diverts no water to gated communities.
*So, more news. The Dana Point Poseidon Adventure will be 1/6th the size of the Huntington Beach Facility which will serve up to 2.5 Million residents and business folks.
The Cost of the Dana Point Facility is about $1 billion dollars at this point. They are looking for dedicated partners to include the SBWD and OCWD among others….who seem to be studying their shoes at this point. “The Future”….what are going to do with it or without it?
Please provide link to the story. I’m surprised the Dana Point plant is costing a billion.
And don’t call it “Poseidon,” that one is a different company.
He doesn’t understand the difference.
Lose the two words at the end of your sentence.