Poseidon Resources Corp. announced Wednesday that the company’s pilot seawater desalination facility located in Carlsbad has been awarded the 2006 Global Grand Prize for Applied Research from the International Water Association (IWA), a global network of water professionals in science, research, technology and practice.

In January 2003, the seawater desalination demonstration facility began operating at the Encina Power Plant in Carlsbad, the site of the company's proposed 50-million-gallon-per-day seawater desalination plant.

The demonstration facility currently produces 40,000 gallons per day of high-quality potable water that exceeds environmental and regulatory standards, according to the company.

“Poseidon’s seawater desalination research and development program competed with projects from the top engineering companies, universities and research centers from around the world,” said Walter J. Winrow, president of Poseidon Resources. “We are extremely proud to have emerged from such a distinguished group of nominees to win the IWA’s Global Grand Prize,” he said.

“Such high level international peer recognition provides further confirmation we are advancing a state-of-the art and environmentally-responsible desalination technology.”
IWA established the Project Innovations Award Program to recognize excellence and innovation in water engineering projects. The award is considered the highest international recognition a company in the water industry can receive.