No good reason to reject Poseidon

In regards to the Poseidon project, I have not seen, heard or read

any scientific evidence that the project will have any major negative

effects on the ocean. Beyond that, several issues come to mind:

The project conforms to all city codes and ordinances, and the

company is not requesting any exceptions or variances.

This is a company that wants to come to town and produce a product

from raw materials. It is not any different from private companies

that take crude oil from the earth and convert it to gasoline, or

from companies that take gas and make electricity -- both are natural

resources no different than sea water. There are a number of private

water companies in the area: Park Water in Downey, Peerless Water in

Bellflower, Southern California Water in Los Angeles County.

Who the company sells its product to or for how much is purely a

business decision. If Poseidon officials want to invest $250 million

of private funds, they must believe they can recoup their investment.

If they don’t, the losers are the investors, not taxpayers. Should

this occur, the Orange County Water District would probably buy the

plant for pennies on the dollar.

A number of businesses in town produce products that are not all

consumed here. (Boeing and Bent Manufacturing come to mind.)

The AES power plant is not going anywhere in our lifetime. AES is

a major global energy company that happens to be on very solid

financial ground. Even if they go bankrupt, the state of California

cannot afford to lose the 900 megawatts of power the plant can

generate. (That’s almost 1 million homes.) The plant manager would be

very happy to tell you about their plans for the future.

And finally, the applicant has proceeded in a proper manner, paid

substantial city fees and is proposing a project that even staff is

recommending. If the City Council votes against this project, I would

suggest they carefully evaluate their “findings for denial” and have

a pretty strong case. The city has not been too successful in

defending itself.

I think the 250 housing units planned for the old tank farm at

Newland and Hamilton and the current zoning for Ascon, some 350

housing units, will have a far greater impact on southeast Huntington

Beach than replacing old worn out oil tanks with a water factory.

* Gary Gorman is a Huntington Beach resident. To contribute to

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