Many of you may be seeing mailers and videos promoting the Poseidon desalination plant.  Poseidon is working on acquiring the required permits to build its desalinization plant adjacent to the AES power plant on Pacific Coast Highway here in Huntington Beach.  BCLT is an environmental organization, and although our primary focus is on Bolsa Chica, it and our coastal environment are forever linked.  As such, we at BCLT are very concerned about threats to our coastal environment, including the impacts projected to be caused directly from a fully functioning Poseidon desalinization plant.   The ocean is the life blood of Bolsa Chica, and we will not support any project that threatens our ocean wildlife.  The Poseidon plant is expected when operational to create a 421.4 acre dead zone, or “area of production forgone” as it is described in the permitting documents.   As for the mitigation that Poseidon is stating that they will give to Bolsa Chica – yes, Bolsa Chica is in need of considerable and continuing funding, the damage that people inflicted on Bolsa Chica for over one hundred years left it in need of significant care.  BCLT is working hard with the State and Federal agencies involved in the oversight of our wetlands to help identify ways to care for Bolsa Chica in a more fiscally sustainable manner without compromising on biological diversity, and without creating dead zones in our fragile coastal ecosystems.

Good afternoon my name is Kim Kolpin and I am the Executive Director of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.  BCLT’s position is that we are in opposition of the proposed Poseidon plant due to the environmental damage it would cause.  We are thankful to the State Lands Commission for looking for every opportunity to bring needed funding to Bolsa Chica.  There is no doubt that the lowlands of Bolsa Chica are in increasingly dire need of support and some amount of dredging will be required to continue to keep the tidal inlet open and lowlands healthy into the future.  However, we agree with the presentation that the environmental coalition presented yesterday opposing this project.

Is this project worth the cost of killing marine life for decades?  BCLT says no.  Our coastal environment is precious and, and we are opposed to projects that would harm it.

BCLT is partnering with the steering committee for Bolsa Chica on a Sustainabilities Alternative Study for the tidal inlet and lowlands which will identify measures that can be taken to relieve some of the maintenance burden while retaining the biodiversity of the wetlands.  That study is due to be completed by the end of this year.

The Army Corps of Engineers is currently working on a plan for the Westminster Flood Control channel, which would increase the ability to move rainwater to the ocean more quickly, with no water retention capabilities planned.  The lack of vision on how to best use water sources within the county is very disappointing.

I also must state that on behalf of BCLT’s Board and 5,000 community members, we find it so very offensive that Mr. Maloni and Poseidon are calling this project an ‘environmental enhancement project’ and that they are portraying themselves as the ‘savior’ of Bolsa Chica.  Far too many people, over the course of decades, have worked tirelessly to save, support the restoration of, and preserve the wildlife habitats at Bolsa Chica.  Poseidon is only focused on Bolsa Chica because they have to mitigate for the environmental damage their plant would cause, not because they care.

Kim Kolpin
Executive Director