The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant has completed a $286 million upgrade to its seawater intake and discharge system, a state-mandated project designed to protect marine life while maintaining the facility’s water production capacity, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The work was finished on schedule and $29 million under budget, according to a Water Authority news release.
The project, located in and around Agua Hedionda Lagoon, was required by the California Ocean Plan Amendment to further reduce the environmental impacts of seawater intake and brine discharge. It included new water intake and outflow structures that use fine-mesh dual-flow screens to prevent small organisms from being drawn into the system.
