Residents are willing to raise taxes for desalination, water district survey finds
How much might Orange County residents be willing to pay in extra property taxes to pay for a steady supply of desalinated water?
The so-called magic number, according to a new Mesa Water District-sponsored survey, could be between $65 and $75 a year.
Mesa Water directors on Thursday examined SCI Consulting Group’s survey, which received both skepticism and praise from the small audience interested in how their tax dollars might go toward paying for Poseidon Water’s proposed Huntington Beach desalination facility, which would pump millions of gallons of desalinated water daily into the county groundwater basin.
The district approved funding for the $55,000 survey in April. About 6,110 registered voters within the Mesa Water boundaries received the 11-question document. About 19% responded, according to SCI.
Half of the respondents were asked if they would approve a $29 property tax increase; the other half were asked about an $89 increase.
Nearly 77% were in support of $29 and nearly 70% supported $89.
“What we conclude here is the support is broad-based,” said John Bliss, vice president of SCI Consulting Group.
Mesa Water is not seeking an increase in the property tax, according to its president, Shawn Dewane. The district does not receive property tax money and instead relies on water rate fees. Dewane said he will forward the survey results to the Orange County Water District, on whose board he serves.
Dewane said he supports finding a new water supply.
“Even water conservation will not get us out of the drought,” he said.
Poseidon is expected to be able, with the new facility, to pump 50 million gallons each day — about 8% of the county’s needs — worth of desalinated water into the Orange County Water District-managed groundwater basin.
Mesa Water gets 70% of its supply from the basin.
Poseidon Vice President Scott Maloni noted that his company is willing to pay the entire $1-billion cost of the desalination facility and is not asking taxpayers to fund construction. The Orange County Water District, however, would be responsible for the distribution of the water to various county agencies and building new infrastructure to do so.
“We don’t know much about the approach” of suggesting property tax increases, Maloni said. “It’s not something that we’ve contemplated at this point.”
Former Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, who has opposed Poseidon’s plans, was critical of the survey, arguing that its questions were leading in favor of the desalination plant and left out “quite a bit of information.”
She compared it to giving “people a choice of a hamburger or nothing at all.” Everyone — even vegetarians — will choose the hamburger, Cook said.
Cook added that the money needed to distribute Poseidon’s desalinated water would be much more than the new property tax revenue — which she pegged at $35 million — could cover.
“This is just a fraction of the cost of that water,” she said.
“I just resent that our money is being wasted on this,” added Costa Mesa resident Greg Ridge. “Especially when I see misleading questions on this that haven’t been resolved.”
Costa Mesa resident Shirlee McDaniels was more optimistic.
“Whatever the cost, we must make this project a reality,” she said.
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Future meetings
Mesa Water District officials will be hosting three meetings at which desalination, the drought and water conservation will be discussed.
The meetings will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 20 and Sept. 17 and 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at 1350 Gisler Ave., Costa Mesa.
For more information or to RSVP, call (949) 631-1201 or email event@mesawater.org.
