Jordan Cunningham would pursue desalination opportunities

Despite last winter’s modest rainfall, California remains mired in its fifth year of record-breaking drought.

Given our climate, we must actively pursue new, long-term water sources to expand our water supply locally.

Fortunately, we have the technology to solve many of our water supply problems through expansion of desalination technology — an environmentally sensitive and cost-effective process for purifying water. One such desalination facility has been in operation for years at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

In March, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors authorized $900,000 to research providing Diablo’s desalinated water to South County residents, concluding that the project “could be both technically and economically feasible.”

Unfortunately, PG&E’s decision to close the plant by 2025 resulted in the company backing out of the desalination expansion plan. But we shouldn’t let this opportunity pass.

There is no doubt that the Central Coast needs strong, effective leadership to work toward new and creative solutions that meet our water needs. One of the reasons I’m running for state Assembly is to work proactively on long-term solutions to our problems. Using desalination technology to address our present and future water shortages will be a top priority.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Jordan Cunningham would pursue desalination opportunities."