Documents Related to the Proposed Poseidon Huntington Beach Ocean Desalination Plant

Note: The Surf City Voice website was destroyed by hackers last December and is under reconstruction. This post was first published June 8, 2018.

The Surf City Voice received thousands of documents from the Orange County Water District’s response to recent Public Record Act requests.

The documents related to the District’s obsession with partnering with Poseidon Resources Inc. to build and operate a $1 billion ocean desalination plant in Huntington Beach.

The purpose of uploading some of those documents for public viewing is to allow interested ratepayers and water management officials to better understand the project and the relationship of the Orange County Water District Board of Directors and its staff to the Poseidon corporation.

OCWD Director and former paid Poseidon consultant Steve Sheldon (left) hob knobs with Poseidon VP Scott Maloni (front right). Photo: Surf City Voice

Related stories: Orange County Water District’s Obsession and Hidden Committee Meetings Explained

I have tried to organize the documents by categories in a coherent fashion, but there may some redundancy and overlapping. I have also tried to redact personal phone numbers and may have removed some formatting for clarity. Finally, I also tried to put the documents in chronological order but may or may not have succeeded in many instances.

Proposed Poseidon Ocean Desalination Plant for Huntington Beach, CA. Confidential Model/Distribution cost/Term sheet markup. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Budget (rate increases) 

• RE HBDP Financial Model (1.23.18)
• Re Metropolitan Proposed Biennial Budget for FY 2018-19 2019-20 and Proposed Water Rates and Charges for CY 2019 and 2020
• Term Sheet markup
  • OCWD-Poseidon WRA Termsheet Poseidon markup against 051515 OCWD BOD approval 021218
• RE Term Sheet markup Feb. 21, 2018
• RE Term Sheet markup Feb. 28, 2016
• Confidential Model 042418
• RE Confidential Model
  • Copy of 2018 01 23 HBDP Financial Model CEC Log Graphs vF JCK changes
• RE Confidential Model
  • Copy of Copy of Direct Distribution Options 2017
    • CGreen_FV Rotary_ 10 min Static with water sources animated-LIGHT

Orange County Water District Director Cathy Green 

OCWD Director Cathy Green speaking for Poseidon project at State Lands Commission in October, 2017. Photo from California State Lands Commission livestream archives.

• OCWD Director Cathy Green,  Poseidon VP Scott Maloni, and OCWD Chief Engineer John Kennedy going to state desal hearing
• Friday Hearing sounds good
• Friday Hearing going to MWD together
• OCWD Director Cathy Green going over her speech with Poseidon VP Scott Maloni and OCWD Chief Engineer John Kennedy
• Maloni approves of OCWD Director Cathy Green’s speech
• Director Cathy Green to meet with Brookfield
• Brookfield meeting with OCWD Director Cathy Green
• Angry Poseidon VP Scott Maloni asks OCWD Director Cathy Green to write a response to a column in the Sacramento Bee
• Anger at IRWD critique and a Plan to Influence a Commissioner
• Misuse of Public Funds: Poseidon Scott Maloni urges OCWD Director Cathy Green to violate the law under a pretext
  • Misuse of Public Funds Part 2: Meeting did occur
    • Presentation: CGreen_FV Rotary_ 10 min Static with water sources animated-LIGHT

Clem Dominguez, OCWD Director Cathy Green’s election opponent in 2016. Photo: Surf City Voice

Environmental Impacts/Carbon  Credits Re: Proposed Poseidon Ocean Desalination Project 

• RE project scoring help needed
• Re Poseidon over claiming carbon credits
  • Copy of Poseidon MWs edits

Desalination Funding Ad hoc Committee 

• Agency Desalination Funding Ad hoc Committee appointments
  • Director Shawn Dewane June 2015 thru March 2018
  • Director Stephen Sheldon June 2015 thru March 2018
  • Director Vincente Sarmiento January 2017 thru March 2018
  • Director Cathy Green June 2015 thru March 2018
  • Director Denis Bilodeau June 2015 thru March 2018
• Agenda Discussion Topics – December 9, 2015
• Poseidon Slides December 9, 2015
• Call to discuss agenda ahead of time
• OCWD legal powers as they relate to purchasing and selling Poseidon water. Discussed at ad hoc desal
  • 2014 12 03 Memo to OCWD Board of Directors re Desalinated Water legal powers
  • The staff have no idea
• Need ad hoc cover
• Not as crazy as last meeting
• RE Huntington Beach ad-hoc
• Confidential Financial Model ad-hoc desal
• Discussion of Poseidon equity rate for project
• HB Desal Water Unit Pricing Model ad hoc committee discussion
• Poseidon Financing Scenarios Confidential ad-hoc
• Scheduling meeting for Poseidon’s convenience but excluding the public
• March 5 , 2018 desalination funding ad hoc presentation

Members of the Desal Funding Ad hoc Committee: Cathy Green, Shawn Dewane, Stephen Sheldon, Vincente Sarmiento and de facto member Scott Maloni, Poseidon VP. Photos: Surf City Voice

Distribution 

• 2014 12 03 Memo to OCWD Board of Directors re Desalinated Water legal powers
• December 9 2015 Poseidon Slides
• FW OCWD Desal Distribution Options Dec 16 2015
• Distribution options March 2016
• Distribution options 2017
• Re OCWD Desal Distribution Options
• Poseidon Distribution Options – Presentation (2)
• RE Huntington Beach distribution (ad-hoc committee agenda item)
• FW Overestimating how much Poseidon water producers can or will take
• Distribution options 2016 March
• 2016-07-06 Agenda: Workshop #3 Poseidon Project Distribution Options
  • 04.a.BOD.Poseidon Presentation (revised)

Editor in Chief?: Poseidon VP Scott Maloni often reviewed and sometimes edited official OCWD documents, including letters to state agencies and the District’s Urban Water Management Plan, a privilege not ever given to project critics (see also Cathy Green above) 

• RE Poseidon Benefits
• Poseidon’s VP Scott Maloni is irate over Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) comments on Poseidon
• RE For inclusion in OC Urban Water Management Plans
  • DRAFT 2016 UWMP Section on Ocean Desalination in OC Edits by Maloni
• OCWD Director Cathy Green going over her speech with Poseidon VP Scott Maloni and OCWD Chief Engineer John Kennedy
• Maloni approves of OCWD Director Cathy Green’s speech
• Suggested edits with copy taken out of August 2016 District letter to the regional board POST
  • Summary May 5 2017 attachment for Desal Updates
• Maloni complains about a comment by OCWD director Jan Flory
  • Maloni’s suggested OCWD Seawater Desalination Chronology 2016 02 03
• Poseidon VP Scott Maloni is upset over staff member’s refusal to edit document already approved by the OCWD Board of Directors

Financials

• Detailed Construction Cost Estimates 7 – TM 1 Appendices FINAL 012413
• Confidential communication Aug 05 2013
  • Copy of Confidential 2017 Impact of HB Scenarios on OCWD Ratepayers 080513
  • PW OCWD Huntington Beach Financial Model 10 28 13 vFinal(CONFIDENTIAL)
• 2017 Impact of HB Scenarios on OCWD Ratepayers 080513
• OCWD legal powers as they relate to purchasing and selling Poseidon water. Discussed at ad hoc desal
  • 2014 12 03 Memo to OCWD Board of Directors re Desalinated Water legal powers
  • Staff has no idea
• Questions about equity return assumptions
• RE_ Monthly bill estimate Poseidon – Huntington Beach 2
• Poseidon wants OCWD to hire its financial analyst
• December 2015 Report exploring grants Jose Solario for Nossaman
• Proposal Outline 2015.02.04
• Letter – Councilman O’Connell with Enclosures 2015.06.19 Final
• Poseidon Costs Carlsbad
• 07.b.Desal Concept Report Options Feb 2016 PDF version
• 53 percent increase for Producers 2 March 15 2016
• HBDP Financial Model 2016 05 16 (OCWD)
• HB Desal Water Unit Pricing Model ad hoc committee discussion March 2017
• MWD LRP Program – Poseidon
• MWD Rates_1970 to 2016 and Projections to 2045 Compared to 6.66% Historical
• 2017 01 20 HBDP Financial Model (OCWD)
  • Confidential communication financial model 2017
• Copy of CA Historical Industrial Electricity Rates 1982-2010
• Copy of Estimated OCWD Investigative Cost – January 2018
• Term Sheet markup
  • OCWD-Poseidon WRA Termsheet Poseidon markup against 051515 OCWD BOD approval 021218

Emails between Poseidon VP Scott Maloni and OCWD staff and board members  

• RE_ Aug 19th Board meeting 2
• RE Get together
• Party time with Poseidon
• Poseidon Huntington Beach Project Meeting on January 13 2016