3 Out of 4 Huntington Beach Voters Support Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project

3 out of 4 Huntington Beach Voters Support Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project

Huntington Beach, Calif. - OC WISE, a diverse, non-partisan coalition that supports the development of all forms of new, local drought-proof water for Orange County, commissioned a survey of Huntington Beach voters to determine their knowledge, understanding and level of support for various means of water supply including the proposed seawater desalination project in Huntington Beach.

When asked how they thought local water agencies should ensure reliable local water supplies seawater, desalination was the top choice ahead of wastewater recycling, stormwater capture and conservation, with nearly two out of three (63.3%) Huntington Beach voters saying desalination was the way to go. When asked specifically about the proposed Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project, nearly 3 in 4 (73.7%) support the project with more than half saying they were “strongly supportive” of the project.

"Given the current drought and the long term effects of climate change, Huntington Beach residents understand now more than ever that a new, drought-proof water supply is critical to our future water supply needs,” said Robert H. Sulnick, OC WISE's Executive Director.

58.3% of Huntington Beach voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate if he or she supports the Huntington Beach desalination project.

“Voters expect our elected officials to serve the public as leaders working toward the development of new water supplies like desalination,” said OC WISE member David Rodriquez who is State Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

61.7% of those surveyed supported the Orange County Water District purchasing the water from the Huntington Beach plant. Based on the water purchase agreement term sheet approved by the Orange County Water District, the final price for the desal water produced in Huntington Beach could result in a slight increase of a few dollars on the average monthly water bill. The survey notes that more than half of the voters (53.7%) would be willing to pay a little more for the certainty that a drought-proof, locally-controlled water supply would provide.

The survey is available online at www.ocwise.org/hbsurvey2016.
The survey was conducted by the professional public opinion research firm Probolsky Research. 300 Huntington Beach voters were surveyed and the survey has a +/- margin of error of 5.8%.
  About OC WISE
OC WISE is a diverse coalition of community groups, labor, non-profit organizations and businesses united to support and advocate for all forms of new water for Orange County. Its membership includes: Association of California Cities Orange County, LA-OC Building and Trades Council; The William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI); Chapman University Democrats; Los Angeles County Business Federation (Biz Fed); League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Millennials for New Water (UCI); Orange County Young Democrats; The Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County; Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce; Poseidon Water; Orange County Association of Realtors; South Orange County Economic Coalition and the California State University at Fullerton (CSUF) Democrats. For more information, visit www.ocwise.org.