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Diablo Canyon desalination plan deserves a brickbat

Citing the need for more drought resiliency, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors recently backed a proposal to expand Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant’s desalination plant to supply as much as 1,300 acre-feet of water a year to South County residents.
Citing the need for more drought resiliency, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors recently backed a proposal to expand Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant’s desalination plant to supply as much as 1,300 acre-feet of water a year to South County residents. Joe Johnston jjohnston@thetribunenews.com

I read that San Luis Obispo County supervisors approved to spend $900,000 on a $36 million project/agreement with Diablo Canyon to annually purchase 1,300 acre-feet of desalinated water, which will be paid for by those who use it (“Diablo Canyon desalination expansion plans move ahead,” March 23).

Over the next 10 years, the project will produce 13,000 acre-feet. Divide that by $36 million and you get a price of $2,770 per acre-foot. A typical household uses 1 acre-foot per year. And, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant could very well be shut down in the next five years.

What an absolutely ridiculous decision when we have thousands of acre-feet of unclaimed wastewater flowing to the ocean every day or wasted through inefficient irrigation and residential/commercial practices.

Does The Tribune have a brickbat big enough for this one?

Charles Varni, Oceano

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Diablo Canyon desalination plan deserves a brickbat."

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