As California confronts worsening drought and water demand, the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project represents a bold step toward climate-resilient supply. Spearheaded by the South Coast Water District, this coastally located facility will draw seawater off Orange County shores, treat it via reverse osmosis, and feed the potable supply for coastal communities previously dependent on imported water. The project tackles both technical and environmental complexity—from intake design and brine management, to permitting, community engagement, and integration with existing water systems.
In this session, project leaders and technical partners will walk through the design, financing, and delivery challenges behind large-scale desalination in California. Topics include:
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Site selection, intake and outfall engineering, and environmental mitigations
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Delivery model options (design-build, hybrid partnerships, operations contracts)
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Funding, capital stack, and risk allocation
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Community interface, permitting hurdles, and resiliency strategies
Attendees will walk away with frameworks and decision criteria for deploying infrastructure solutions to secure water supply in the coastal zone, especially under climate constraints.