Dana Point Desalination Project Authorization Act

DANA POINT DESALINATION PROJECT AUTHORIZATION ACT -- (House of Representatives - May 02, 2006)

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3929, the Dana Point Desalination Project Authorization Act. My legislation will authorize Federal participation in a relatively small ocean desalination project that could have an enormous impact on the future development of desalination projects.

As our country continues to look for new sources of water, particularly in the West, the expansion of our desalinated ocean water capability is essential. While extensively utilized in other parts of the world, most notably in the Middle East, the U.S. has only recently begun to consider large-scale ocean water desalination projects. There are a number of factors that have limited the viability of desalination projects. The major issues confronting ocean desalination are the cost of producing potable water and the potential negative impacts on ocean ecosystems.

The Dana Point Desalination Project is not a typical ocean desalination project. The project will use a unique subsurface ocean intake system that will collect water that naturally seeps through the ocean floor. The system provides a number of benefits over traditional intake systems, including removing the negative impacts on marine life as well as potentially reducing the need for extensive pretreatment filtration. If constructed and successful, the system would remove various concerns expressed by environmental advocates as well as improve the feasibility of future ocean desalination projects.

The Dana Point Desalination Project, to the best of my knowledge, is the only ocean desalination project supported by the Surfrider Foundation. Their support is a direct result of the unique subsurface intake technology that avoids negative impacts to the marine ecosystem. I would like to submit a letter form the Surfrider Foundation detailing their support for the Dana Point project for the record.

The Dana Point Desalination Project could have significant regional and national benefits. H.R. 3929 simply authorizes Federal participation in the project and limits the Federal obligation to $2.5 million to assist with preliminary engineering and environmental studies. No construction dollars are authorized in H.R. 3929.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting the Dana Point Desalination Project and passing H.R. 3929.

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