EDITORIAL:Water fight runs dry

What exactly does the recent Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling regarding power plant cooling systems mean to Huntington Beach — specifically, the proposed Poseidon desalination plant?

That, of course, depends on whom you talk to. In other words, no one really knows for sure right now.

But it’s becoming clear that the Poseidon plant is going to happen no matter what its opponents want. It’s unlikely there’s an Erin Brockovich among them who will turn this project around.

The appellate court ruling simply said that companies, unless they could show that adding newer, more environmentally friendly technology would bankrupt them, cannot go for the cheapest alternative when it comes to cooling down their power plants.

There are three basic types of cooling systems.

The once-through cooling system, as is used by the AES plant, sucks water in from the ocean and cools down the power plant. Environmentalists don’t generally like this system because they argue it sucks in too much marine life and causes too much damage to the ecology. New power plants, by the way, are not allowed to use this system — the ones that do are grandfathered in.

Then there’s the closed-cycle cooling system. These plants have a giant reservoir of water that is used to cool down the plant’s generators. When the heat forces some of it to evaporate, more water is drawn in from the ocean to replace the steam but less often and less forcefully than the once-through cooling system. This system costs more than the once-through system.

The third alternative is the so-called dry-air cooling systems. Imagine giant fans making tremendous noise in your neighborhood. It’s also so expensive that it’s generally not worth it.

Since the closed-cycle system is the one of the most often used and is a minimum standard for new power plants, then it would seem logical to choose this one for Poseidon. But hold on a second. Poseidon officials are saying they could just buy the AES power plant and then it would no longer fall under the regulatory power of the state.

We strongly urge Poseidon to avoid taking this route. It’s an end-around guaranteed to upset neighbors. If you just moved into a neighborhood and you needed to get a new car, would you buy an older model that spews too much smog when you could afford a new hybrid vehicle? Of course not. So be good neighbors, Poseidon. Get the best, most environmentally friendly cooling system you can. We understand that it will cost more, but your neighbors will be grateful.

As for those who will not accept this compromise, it’s fair to call into question your motives. Are you just using the AES plant and Poseidon in a much larger battle to stop growth in Huntington Beach in the hopes the desalination plant will move on down the road?

We need to face the fact that in our climate, we need more than rainwater. Desalination makes a great deal more sense than forever depending on importing water from as far away as Colorado.