OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Contact:  Tatiana Stewart  (707)631-8906  download a pdf
  
Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Facility Receives Prestigious Grand Award in Engineering
 
Carlsbad, CA – Today, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) honored Poseidon Water with a Grand Award for their excellence in engineering on the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Facility. The award was presented at ACEC’s 50th Anniversary Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on April 25 in Washington, D.C. Poseidon CEO, Carlos Riva was there to accept the prestigious award, alongside representatives from Arcadis, the design and engineering consultant on the plant.

The one-year anniversary of Carlsbad desalination plant provides an opportunity to look at its positive impact in the region, writes Mark Muir of the San Diego County Water Authority

WHEN THE NATION’S largest seawater desalination plant started commercial production last December, it was a historic victory for San Diego County and an entire drought-weary state.

One year later, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant has produced nearly 15 billion gallons (57bn liters) of drinking water, representing the best of our collective efforts in California to solve complex and sometimes confounding water challenges.

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  Jessica Jones (760) 655-3998  download a pdf

Internationally Acclaimed Claude ‘Bud’ Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant Provides Drought-Resilient Supplies 
 
Carlsbad, CA (Dec.14, 2016) –  In its first year of operations, the nation’s largest and most technologically advanced seawater desalination plant produced enough high-quality, drought-proof water from the Pacific Ocean to meet approximately 10 percent of the region’s demand. The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant quickly generated significant benefits by relieving pressure on imported water supplies, reducing state mandates for emergency conservation measures in March and helping the region pass the state’s stringent water supply “stress test” in June.
 
After completing construction on schedule, the plant was dedicated on Dec. 14, 2015, in front of more than 600 elected officials, community leaders and project partners. The facility – named after the late Carlsbad mayor who also served as Water Authority Board chair – soon garnered local and international accolades. It was honored in April 2016 with a Global Water Award as the Desalination Plant of the Year by Global Water Intelligence for “the most impressive technical or ecologically sustainable achievement in the industry.” In June, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association recognized the desalination project with its highest honor – the Grand Golden Watchdog – for “stretching taxpayer dollars through cooperation between the public and private sectors.” And in July, Poseidon was named an Energy Champion by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) for its “remarkable commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency and conservation.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  Jessica Jones (760) 655-3998  download a pdf
Recognized for accomplishments in reducing energy consumption
at the Carlsbad Desalination Facility
 
 Carlsbad, CA (July 11, 2016) - San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) named Poseidon Water an “Energy Champion” for 2016. Poseidon was selected as the Water Energy Nexus Champion for their investments in, and commitment to, sustainability and energy efficiency at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant (the Plant).
 
To reduce energy consumption at the Plant, Poseidon employs 144 state-of-the-art energy recovery devices that are able to save an estimated 146 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy per year and reduce carbon emissions by 42,000 metric tons annually – a saving roughly equivalent to removing 9,000 passenger vehicles from the roads.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:   Jessica Jones (760) 655-3998 downoad a .pdf

San Diego County Taxpayers Association Honors Poseidon Water and San Diego County Water Authority for Collaborative Effort to Create New Drought-Proof Water Supply 

Carlsbad, CA (June 17, 2016) – The Carlsbad Desalination Project was recognized for “stretching taxpayer dollars through cooperation between the public and private sectors” by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association at the organization’s 21st Annual Golden Watchdog & Fleece Awards last night at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Authority received the Grand Golden Watchdog for the project and the unique collaboration that made it possible. 

​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:   Jessica Jones (760) 655-3998 downoad a pdf
Global Water Award announced in the United Arab Emirates
Carlsbad, CA – The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant has been honored with a Global Water Award as the Desalination Plant of the Year for 2016 by Global Water Intelligence, publisher of periodicals for the international water industry. The award, announced this week at the Global Water Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, goes to “the desalination plant, commissioned during 2015, that represents the most impressive technical or ecologically sustainable achievement in the industry.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:   Jessica Jones (760) 655-3998 download a pdf
Honor Bestowed by Engineering News Record Salutes the Industry’s Most Influential People
 
San Diego, CA – Today, Poseidon announced that their Senior Vice President of Project Development for California has been named one of Engineering News Record’s (ENR) ‘Top 25 Newsmakers.’ Every year, ENR salutes influencers in construction by naming the Top 25 Newsmakers who have been the most influential in their respective roles. MacLaggan was recognized for his tenacity and patience in pushing for the successful construction of the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western hemisphere in Carlsbad, California.

By Joel Kotkin
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“What do we do with this worthless area, the region of savages and wild beasts, of shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and prairie dogs? To what use could we ever hope to put these great deserts and these endless mountain ranges?”
– U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster, on the American West, 1852

The drought, if somewhat ameliorated by a passably wet winter in Northern California, reminds us that aridity defines the West. Our vulnerability is particularly marked here in Southern California, where the local rivers and springs could barely support a few hundred thousand residents, as opposed to the 20 million or so who live here. Bay Area, we’re talking about you, too, since about two-thirds of your drinking water is imported.

San Diego County residents may not need to save as much water as they saved at this time last year. “We’re easing our drought restrictions,” said Vallecitos Water District spokesman Chris Robbins. “We’re going to be able to let them use more water than we have.” Robbins said the State of California previously asked Vallecitos customers to conserve 24% of their water. “Because of the connection to the desal plant over in Carlsbad,” explained Robbins, “We’ve been reduced to 16%.” The Carlsbad Desalination Plant went online in November. Robbins said the 50 million gallons of clean drinking water every day has paid off for San Diego County. “It got most of the agencies an 8% reduction,” he said.

State-mandated water restrictions in San Diego County will be eased soon from 20 percent to 13 percent on average, thanks to the new desalination plant in Carlsbad, officials announced Thursday. The San Diego County Water Authority said state regulators have certified the supply of potable water from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant as drought-resilient. The plant, which opened in December, is the nation’s largest seawater desalination plant and produces about 50 million gallons per day of high-quality, drought-proof water.