Universal support seen for desal plant as concerns over the effects of global warming grow.

With sea level projected to rise 3 feet over the next decade alone due to global warming, local elected officials are warning of pending catastrophe. Instead of a shortage of water credits, says Monterey Mayor Tyller Williamson, “There will be water, water everywhere.”

To prevent rising sea levels, on April 1 city councils across Monterey County, as well as water management districts and the California Public Utilities Commission met in agreement on a bold plan. Funding will be diverted from existing projects to fund rapid completion of a desalination plant approved for Marina, followed by additional plants in Sand City, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel.

If other communities follow suit, officials believe this action will be enough to actually reverse the increase in sea levels within five years.

“The plan makes perfect sense,” says Dave Stoldt, Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s general manager. As the ocean continues to rise, desalination draws the water from the sea and directs it to agricultural or other uses, he explains. 

A series of plants could keep sea levels even, for now. As more come online, those levels will drop. Meanwhile, the additional water credits would allow more housing, making the area more affordable.

“I’ve been advocating for such a solution for years,” Stoldt adds. “Why this has not occurred to others until now is beyond me.”

A spokesperson from the California Coastal Commission said that a desalination plan of such magnitude would need no further conditions or approvals, other than the routine eminent domain recovery of land for the plants. Williamson has already identified the vacant lot on Cannery Row as a perfect location.

“We will have the Aquarium on one end of the street, desal on the other,” he says. “The desal plant could pump cheap ocean water to the Aquarium, without the need for desalination. There's nothing so efficient.”

The Pacific Grove City Council is expected to meet later this week. But already talk is centered on the Asilomar area. Other cities will follow.

Approval of the plan is widespread, with Monterey One Water, Marina Coast Water District and other entities joining in support. Officials anticipate that the state will fund future projects. Money for the Marina desal plant will come from existing infrastructure repair and education projects.