During a hearing last month, the CCC approved ground testing, as well as the construction of a pair of monitoring wells to be dug at the site on Doheny State Beach near San Clemente while the water agency works to produce a finished site layout for the desalination project. Graphic design can be used to visualize projects while they are in the development stage.
The two monitoring wells will be used to evaluate subsurface conditions to identify the ideal position for the installation's slant wells, which will take water from under the ocean's floor.
Marc Serna, SCWD’s Assistant General Manager, was speaking about the recently approved permit. He described it as:
“…[an] important component that will essentially provide the necessary geotechnical information for construction of our slant wells, which are very innovative and a unique approach of subsurface intake technology, that is very specific for our Doheny ocean desalination project.”
The plan was approved with the caveat that the South Coast Water District must secure all necessary licenses and permissions before beginning construction. It will require permits from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, according to the CCC's staff assessment.