Desalination has quickly become the newest touted solution to our water woes. Under all the publicity, however, are some major environmental and economic concerns. Only a decade ago, desalination was dismissed as an overly expensive joke. Today, nine new desalination plants have been proposed within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary alone.

Save Our Shores will be hosting a desalination panel discussion on May 15th at 6:30pm. Panelists will be representative of the pros and cons of desalination with specific focus on Santa Cruz water options. A question and answer component has been scheduled for the latter half of the panel discussion. Community members will be able to voice opinions and ask questions of the panelists. The lecture is free and open to the public.  It is a part of SOS’s Ocean Currents Lecture Series, commemorating SOS’s 30 year history of raising public awareness of ocean issues through education.  The monthly lecture series will run from January thru June, leading up to SOS’s 30th Anniversary celebration, Toast to the Coast in August.  The next lecture will be the “Gems of the Monterey Bay.”

WHAT:      Desalination Panel: Weighing in on our Water Woes: Save Our Shores Ocean Currents Lecture Series
WHERE:               First Congregational Church, 900 High Street in Santa Cruz
WHEN: Thursday, May 15, 2008, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
COST:                    FREE, everyone is welcome!