Public Comment Period Opens on State Water Board’s Draft Desalination Report by ACWA Staff Jul 13, 2023 Water News SACRAMENTO – The State Water Resources Control Board recently released the Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment and Webinar on the “Draft Seawater Desalination Siting and Streamlining Report to Expedite Permitting” (Draft Report). The Draft Report identifies criteria for siting seawater desalination facilities to streamline and facilitate approval under existing regulatory requirements, as well as potential changes to regulatory requirements. The Draft Report also identifies actions that project proponents and permitting agencies could implement to better facilitate approval of seawater desalination projects given additional resources and regulatory or process changes. State Water Board staff will conduct a public webinar on the Draft Report on July 21 at 11 a.m. The webinar will include a presentation from the Seawater Desalination Interagency Group followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions. Written comments on the Draft Report are due by noon on July 28. Instructions on how to submit comments and view the webinar are available online. ACWA recognizes that seawater desalination is an important part of a sustainable state water supply portfolio and supports Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy goal to “streamline and expedite permitting to provide better clarity and certainty to further desalination projects.”
