Poseidon Resources Corp., the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council and the Southwestern Regional Council of Carpenters are partnering on the construction of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant.

The Carlsbad plant, which Poseidon has been developing since 1998, is scheduled to be operational in 2008, after the environmental review and approval process and construction is completed. Once built, Carlsbad will be home to the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere, which will provide residents and businesses with a new source of affordable drinking water while creating significant economic benefit for the employers and employees of San Diego County.
As the city of Carlsbad's private-sector partner, Poseidon will assume all risks associated with the financing, development, construction and operation of the project, while providing the city with its entire daily requirement for water ---- up to 25 million gallons per day. In total, the plant will be able to sustain the fresh water needs of 300,000 San Diego County residents annually. For water ratepayers, the desalination plant represents a forward-looking project that will ensure residents and businesses will have a local water supply that protects the region from drought.
The construction of the plant will be an important phase in the completion of the project. To this end, the business-labor partnership with the county's labor community provides widespread benefit. The labor agreement ensures that one of the most important water infrastructure projects in San Diego County history will be built without prolonged labor disputes that could disrupt construction and increase costs.

The members of San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council and the Regional Council of Carpenters are responsible for building some of the region's most important public and private facilities and infrastructure projects. Many of these successful projects incorporated project labor agreements, including the San Diego Convention Center expansion, the Padres ballpark, and the Otay Mesa and Escondido power plants.

As a result of this partnership, all labor will be hired locally, meaning jobs will be created for San Diego County residents. Studies have shown that every dollar earned in the county will be spent locally several times over. This multiplier effect will result in significant economic benefit for the region, including an estimated $170 million in spending during construction, 2,100 jobs created during construction, and $37 million in annual spending throughout the region once the desalination plant is operational.

Creating drinking water from the Pacific Ocean is a monumental undertaking, and the Carlsbad desalination plant will be one of the region's most ambitious public-private partnerships. The sooner the construction of the plant starts, the sooner San Diego County residents will realize the benefits.

Walter J. Winrow is president of Poseidon Resources Corp. Kris Hartnett is president of the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council. Jim Flores is administrative assistant for the Southwestern Regional Council of Carpenters.

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