California city looks to sea for water in drought

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) -- This seaside city thought it had the perfect solution the last time California withered in a severe drought more than two decades ago: Tap the ocean to turn salty seawater to fresh water, the Associated Press reported recently.

The $34 million desalination plant was fired up for only three months and mothballed after a miracle soaking of rain.

As the state again grapples with historic dryness, the city nicknamed the "American Riviera" has its eye on restarting the idled facility to hedge against current and future droughts.

"We were so close to running out of water during the last drought. It was frightening," said Joshua Haggmark, interim water resources manager. "Desalination wasn't a crazy idea back then."

Removing salt from ocean water is not a far-out idea, but it's no quick drought-relief option. It takes years of planning and overcoming red tape to launch a project.

Santa Barbara is uniquely positioned with a desalination plant in storage. But getting it humming again won't be as simple as flipping a switch.

After the plant was powered down in 1992, the city sold off parts to a Saudi Arabia company. 

The city estimates that it will need $20 million in technological upgrades, a cost likely to be borne by ratepayers. Desalination also requires prime coastal real estate. The earliest restart date would be summer 2016.

The original plant had a capacity to produce about 7,500 acre-feet of water per year, about half of the city's average water use. An acre-foot is enough to last a family of four about a year. Santa Barbara has enough water for this year and even next year by buying supplemental supplies and as long as residents continue to conserve.

Currently, there are about a dozen proposed desalination projects, according to the California Coastal Commission, which is charged with permitting the facilities.

The Western Hemisphere's largest desalination plant is under construction north of San Diego after overcoming years of regulatory hurdles. The developer - Poseidon Resources LLC - is seeking approval to build another one in Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles.

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