San Francisco, CA
Desalination plant proposed for San Francisco Bay
Saying it needs to evaluate all options for new sources of drinking water, Silicon Valley’s largest water district is studying a plan to build the first seawater desalination plant along the shores of San Francisco Bay.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, a government agency based in San Jose, has approved spending $1.7 million for Black & Veatch, a Walnut Creek firm, to conduct an engineering feasibility study over the next 12 months for a project near the bay’s shoreline in Palo Alto, Mountain View or San Jose.
Under the proposal, which is still in the early stages, the plant would take between 20 million to 80 million gallons of water a day from the bay, run it through filters to strip the salt out and serve from 10 million to 40 million gallons a day of freshwater to South Bay homes and businesses. That would provide about 11,000 to 44,000 acre-feet of water per year, enough for between 100,000 and 500,000 households.
The salty brine left over would be blended with treated wastewater from one of the South Bay’s sewage treatment plants to reduce its salinity and be released back into the bay.
“People ask us about desalination all the time,” said Tony Estremera, a member of the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors. “Can we really do it? We don’t know. It’s worth looking at. We really do need to do a serious look at it, and this is a substantial look.”
In theory, desalination can provide an endless supply of water. In 2015, crews built a $1 billion desalination plant in Carlsbad, in San Diego County. It provides 54 million gallons per day — nearly 10% of the drinking water for San Diego. It is the largest plant in North America.
But desalination is also the most expensive type of water to produce. The San Diego County Water Authority pays $3,400 an acre-foot for the Carlsbad water — more than double the cost of water it imports from other sources, and up significantly from the $2,200 it paid when the plant opened a decade ago.
By comparison, the Santa Clara Valley Water District pays about $400 an acre-foot to the federal and state government for water it draws from the Delta. However, that water is not as reliable during droughts.
Why is it so expensive? Desalination plants run 24 hours a day, blasting water through membranes at pressures higher than a fire hose, and use huge amounts of energy.
Desalinated water is far more costly than recycling wastewater, repairing leaky underground pipes, expanding groundwater storage, or giving people rebates to voluntarily remove their lawns or buy water-efficient appliances, experts say.
“This would be the first seawater desalination plant built in the Bay Area,” said Heather Cooley, director of research for the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit water research organization in Oakland. “We haven’t seen others because we have cheaper alternatives with fewer environmental impacts.”
The district proposal is likely to face significant environmental opposition because it would be near, or inside, the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay, an environmental group in Oakland, said that building pipes into a national wildlife refuge to draw millions of gallons of water a day from sensitive wetland areas that are home to endangered species would almost certainly cause a major controversy.
“The public has a deep love for the bay and has made a big investment in protecting these parts of the shoreline,” he said. “The public would not likely welcome new development of this type in that area.”
Several alternatives have been tried in the past.
In 2009, many of the largest water agencies in the Bay Area paid to construct a pilot desalination plant in Bay Point, just west of Pittsburg. It ran for more than a year.
But the group, which included the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Contra Costa Water District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District, dropped the idea in 2012.
“The cost of the water was higher than other sources for us,” said Andrea Pook, a spokeswoman for EBMUD. “And the environmental permitting would have been challenging.”
Similarly, the Marin Municipal Water District proposed building a desalination plant on the bay near San Rafael in 2009 but shelved the plan after Marin voters approved a ballot measure in 2010 saying desalination facilities couldn’t be built without voter approval.
Building such a plant in the South Bay, which is shallow and subject to limited tidal action, would require 14 permits from federal agencies and 8 from state agencies, according to a brief environmental feasibility study that the Santa Clara Valley Water District commissioned last year.
GEI Consultants, an Oakland firm that did the study, evaluated 13 alternatives along the San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto shorelines. The most feasible options, it found, were to draw in water from underground pipes in the bay off Palo Alto or Mountain View. The most likely site for a desalination plant, however, is in Alviso, the study concluded, where there is more land than other possible sites near Moffett Field and the Palo Alto Baylands. The brine could be disposed of in deeper waters in the middle of the bay, or in a marsh after being blended with treated wastewater, the study found.
The cost would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars if not more than $1 billion. Specific estimates will be part of the engineering study, Estremera said.
There are 12 ocean desalination plants in California now. Most are small and serve military bases, power plants and other facilities, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Apart from the Carlsbad plant, there are plants in Santa Barbara and Catalina Island. Two years ago, the Coastal Commission rejected a large plant at Huntington Beach, citing environmental concerns.
In November 2022, however, the commission approved a permit for a $330 million seawater desalination facility in Marina, in Monterey County. That plant, at the site of a former sand mining factory, will produce 5 million gallons of water a day at a cost of $6,000 an acre-foot for the water-starved Monterey Peninsula.
The commission also approved a plant in Dana Point which will produce 5 million gallons a day. It would be built by the South Coast Water District in Laguna Beach and is expected to open in 2028.
“This study is really a response to the community, and our public officials,” Estremera said. “We want to take a good serious look at this and answer once and for all whether it’s possible here.”
Originally Published:
San Francisco, CA
3 quick takeaways from the 49ers 38-10 loss to the Packers: Time to wrap up the season?
The writing seemed to be on the wall heading into the weekend for the San Francisco 49ers when Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, and Charvarius Ward were ruled out due to injury. Then, Trent Williams was deemed inactive after a pregame warmup.
Well, Sunday went exactly how many expected and even worse to a degree, as the 49ers suffered their ugliest loss of the season in a 38-10 defeat to the Green Bay Packers, dropping to 5-6 on the season.
Offensively, the 49ers couldn’t establish any form of a run game, while their passing game struggled to generate many explosives and finish drives.
Defensively, San Francisco was out-physicaled and looked gassed from the jump, struggling to contain the run without Bosa, leading to the blowout defeat.
Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers 38-10 loss to the Packers on Sunday.
Establishing the run game
Coming into the game, with a key injury at quarterback and at left tackle, it was clear the 49ers weren’t going to muster enough offense without a consistent run game.
San Francisco had struggled to establish the run with Christian McCaffrey over the last two games, as the star rushed for just 3.7 yards per carry since returning from injury.
That didn’t improve on Sunday, as McCaffrey had just 31 yards on 11 carries, failing to muster any type of success on the day. In our three keys to win, I highlighted the need to give Jordan Mason more carries during a game where the 49ers absolutely needed an identity on the ground.
Mason got a 16-yard carry on his first touch on the first drive of the second half, but didn’t see much volume outside of that, with San Francisco relying more on their passing game after falling into a deficit early.
The 49ers just looked flat, so an extra boost of physicality from Mason could’ve helped. Instead, they rode McCaffrey hard again, who struggled on the ground, while fumbling the ball on his longest catch of the day.
Defensively, San Francisco allowed Green Bay to run the ball 42 times, gaining 169 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Starter Josh Jacobs led the way with 106 yards and all three scores, powering through inside the red zone for a number of touchdowns.
The passing game was inconsistent for Green Bay, as Jordan Love completed just 13/23 passes for 163 yards. But, a strong rushing attack led the way en route to 38 points.
Big swing
One of the 49ers’ biggest chances in this game came to open up the second half. San Francisco had an abominable start, going three-and-out on consecutive possessions, while giving up scores on all three of Green Bay’s opening drives.
Down 17-7, the 49ers had a big chance to cut the game to a one-score lead, but opportunities were missed, as has been the case for much of the year.
Facing a 1st & 10 at the Green Bay 47-yard line, Brandon Allen had a deep ball to Jauan Jennings behind him, missing the open wideout who could’ve corraled the pass but wasn’t able to. Then, on 4th & 2, Allen had happy feet and was late dishing out an out-route, killing the drive.
After having a chance to pull within one score, the 49ers missed out, giving Green Bay a chance to improve their lead. But, the defense forced a quick three-and-out, giving San Francisco a chance to get within one score once again.
Well, as they did on the opening drive, San Francisco moved the ball, getting from their 10-yard line to the Green Bay 45-yard line. But, disaster struck again, as Brandon Allen had a pass intercepted off a dart to Deebo Samuel, which went through his hands and into those of Xavier McKinney.
Green Bay wouldn’t let that opportunity pass, as they swiftly put together a three-play, 26-yard touchdown drive to go up 24-7, never looking back from there.
In a game where so much was already going against them, the 49ers had a big chance to begin the second half. But, as they’ve done for much of the season, San Francisco was unable to capitalize.
Outlook of the stars
Coming into the season, it seemed like the 49ers were going to rely on their stars more than expected with the roster getting older and younger talent slowly getting integrated into the roster.
Well, 11 games through, San Francisco is 5-6 and their stars are a big reason for that.
Offensively, it starts at the top with Brock Purdy. The quarterback has been a positive for the season as he has utilized his legs more often, while overcoming other deficiencies. But, the question is: has he looked like a $60 million dollar quarterback?
Running back Christian McCaffrey missed the entire first half of the year as he rehabbed Achilles tendonitis, leaving San Francisco in a hole with arguably their best skill position player shelved. Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL early in the season, forcing rookies into action sooner rather than later at the receiver position. Then, Trent Williams started dealing with ankle issues, limiting his play and forcing him to miss a game.
Defensively, Nick Bosa has recently dealt with an oblique and hip issue, missing this past week. Javon Hargrave was ruled out early in the season with a triceps injury. Charvarius Ward has missed time. Fred Warner has not looked the same as his Defensive Player of the Year-level start. Talanoa Hufanga has also been out of the lineup for much of the year.
That has led to a talent depreciation on both sides of the ball, with certain players feeling like they’ve regressed, while the passion and fight in this team feel different than years past.
With the top players looking as they have over the first 11 games of the year, it’s questionable to see how this team can truly turn things around.
The San Francisco Giants need more pitching and seem to want to trade one of their sluggers — and they may be able to accomplish two tasks with one move.
With Buster Posey seemingly wanting to move on from LaMonte Wade Jr. while he still holds a bit of trade value, he will need to consider what they to get back in return.
One team that could be desperate to bring Wade in is the Houston Astros, long plagued by poor play at the plate from their first basemen. While most of their pitchers were injured last season, they do have a slight surplus of starting caliber players on their roster. They might just be the perfect trade partner.
A potential deal between the two squads could see the Giants ship Wade off to the Astros in exchange for right-handed starter J.P. France and pitching prospect Jackson Nezuh.
France is an interesting case, and would certainly be a risk, but does have the potential to be an impactful arm in the backend for the rotation.
He is a long way from someone that could replace Blake Snell, but could be an interesting innings eating starter or long-reliever depending on how he comes back from injury.
That is something that San Francisco wished they had last year during their flurry of pitching injuries.
The Houston righty struggled last year, but it was just a small sample size of five starts. The Giants would need him to find a way back to his surprisingly solid rookie campaign.
In 2023, he made 24 appearances (23 starts) and finished with a 3.83 ERA across 136.1 innings pitched.
France has a great breaking balls that helped him soar in the minor leagues. HIs changeup is especially effective.
Given that he is coming off of a shoulder injury, though, the Astros could need to add a mid-tier prospect as a bit of insurance.
Nezuh was a 14th-round selection in the 2023 MLB draft out of the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.
He has always been more of potential guy than actual results, but he had a great first year in the Houston farm system. He had a 3.89 ERA with 11.3 K/9 across Single and High-A.
Wade was red-hot to start last season, but fell off hard. As he enters the final year of his career, Posey could be looking to maximize his trade value and help the roster out in a bigger spot of need.
Lee Farley, 36, was convicted Friday of shooting and killing four men in the Hayes Valley neighborhood in 2015.
In a statement, prosecutors said that Farley was found guilty of using a rental car from Walnut Creek to perform a drive-by shooting on an idle Honda Civic, firing 18 shots into the vehicle before fleeing.
All four victims died on the scene.
Farley, who initially plead not guilty, was serving time for unrelated charges in 2016 when authorities connected him to the shootings, according to reporting from SFGATE.
“Our strong legal team fought hard, understanding that while nothing we do can bring back their loved ones, that hopefully this verdict brings them some comfort,” said District Attroney Brooke Jenkins in the statement.
Farley is set to be sentenced on Dec. 16.
Photo via X
Column: These young Latinos backed Derek Tran in a race where every vote is crucial
Saquon Barkley runs over Rams for 255 yards as Eagles roll to seventh win in row
Northvolt dilemma: Can European EVs avoid relying on Asian batteries?
Yamandu Orsi wins Uruguay’s run-off presidential election
2 Dartmouth fraternity members and a sorority have been charged in death of a student
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Yamandu Orsi wins Uruguay’s run-off presidential election
2 Dartmouth fraternity members and a sorority have been charged in death of a student
Blinken questioned for State Department hosting in-house therapy sessions after Trump win
Voters in Switzerland say no to bigger motorways
Two killed and one injured as plane crashes in Colorado mountain range
-
Business1 week agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science5 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics1 week agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology6 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle1 week agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World1 week agoProtesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
-
News7 days agoThey disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
News1 week agoGaetz-gate: Navigating the President-elect's most baffling Cabinet pick