I am at a loss to explain why the Board is being challenged by six of the seven candidates. I am the only candidate who really took issue with the board as I am opposed to the building a desalination plant and I am also the only candidate who wanted a six percent increase in rate hikes.
And no one could tell me how much fifty gallons desal water would cost. In other words: why would anyone support building the aforementioned plant without knowing how much the water would cost from such a plant?
I also mentioned that costs would soar from such a plant and that it would leave a huge carbon footprint, which means more global warming and the seas rising with each emission from coal fired plants.
Desal plants require huge amounts of energy and as I further indicated the results would force us to dump brine in our marine sanctuary. And cleaning the membranes from such a plant would require using toxic substances to clean them and they would have to go in the ocean or be stored at a significant cost to the people of Cambria.
Finally as I indicated during the debate there is little likelihood that the Coastal Commission would ever approve of building a desalination for Cambria.
Last 5 posts by Clive
- Clive Finchamp on Running for Office
- Clive Finchamp on his Candidacy for CCSD
- Clive Finchamp: "Why I am Running for CCSD"
- Clive Offers His Two Cents
Clive has some really good questions about Desal, the cost will not be cheap, do your homework and check around. The Island of Catalina could not afford their desal if it were not owned by SCE the power company. I would like to ask why the rate increase; will it bring us more water? If I have added costs to my household, do I go out and get another job for added income or do I try to cut costs. Seems pretty simple to me…
Just a thought for a start. We did a calculation of the cost of trucking in water (if the creeks really run dry). Tranportation alone with all customers restricted to 50gpd per person would cost in round numbers $100 per person per month (surcharge). Thus in a 2 person home your bill could increase by up to $400 each billing cycle. Once you think about that desal might come back into your thought process.
One more thing how are we going to fight fires with bone dry creeks? keep up the dialogue!