The desalination plant under construction in Carlsbad is 65 percent complete and should begin water deliveries in about one year, the developer announced Wednesday.
The $1 billion project will produce 50 million gallons of water a day for use across the San Diego region, meeting about 7 percent of the county's need for water in 2020, and account for about one-third of locally generated water, according to Poseidon Water.
"As drought conditions deepen statewide, the value of the Carlsbad Desalination Project continues to grow for San Diego County," said Mark Weston, chairman of the San Diego County Water Authority's Board of Directors.
"But it's important to remember that the purpose of the Carlsbad Desalination Project isn't only to help during the current drought," he said. "It will be a core, high-quality water source for decades, and it is a key part of the water authority's strategy to improve the reliability of our region's water supply by diversifying our water resources."
County water officials said the next few months will be critical in determining whether harsher restrictions on water use will be necessary in San Diego and throughout California.
About 7.25 miles of a 10-mile pipeline that will carry water from the plant to the water authority's distribution system has been completed.
