Unusual taste and odor of water in 5 Cities area no cause for concern

Unusual taste and odor of water in 5 Cities area no cause for concern, officials said. 

Lopez Project customers in San Luis Obispo County who receive water from the Lopez Water Treatment Plant (WTP), including the cities of Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Avila Beach, and Shell Beach, may experience an unusual taste and/or odor in their potable water over the next week.

The unusual taste or odors that some customers may detect are due to compounds produced primarily from blue-green algae and organic matter in surface waters, imparting a musty or earthy taste and odor. 

California Coastal Commission unanimously rejects desalination plant

The California Coastal Commission rejected the proposed construction of a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. 

The Coastal Commission staff had advised the commission to deny approval — citing, among other factors, the high cost of the water and lack of local demand for it, the risks to marine life, and the possibility of flooding in the area as sea levels rise.

The unanimous decision sets a high bar for the future of turning seawater into drinking water in California. 

The plant would have sucked in nearly 107 million gallons of seawater and spit out 50 million gallons a day, enough to supply nearly 460,000 people in Orange County, which is home to about 3.2 million people. 

The developer of the proposed plant pushed back against criticism at the meeting and expressed disappointment in the decision.