SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., June 29 (San Luis Obispo Online) — San Luis Obispo County is asking residents to weigh in on a regional desalination plan that has moved into a feasibility-study stage, a step county officials say could shape the area’s future water supply.
The effort, called the Desalination Executable Solution and Logistics Plan, or DESAL Plan, is being led by the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and County Public Works. County materials say 16 partners are involved.
What is the DESAL Plan?
The DESAL Plan is a regional planning effort to study whether ocean desalination could help supply water in the future. Desalination is the process of removing salt from seawater so it can be used as fresh water.
County project materials say the work is being done in phases. It is now in Phase 1, a feasibility study. In this stage, county officials say no final decisions are being made.
Instead, the study is meant to compare different project options and identify possible locations, infrastructure needs, partnership issues, estimated costs and ways water might be moved from a plant to users.
Why is the county looking at desalination?
County Public Works Deputy Director Courtney Howard said the county is heavily dependent on rainfall for its existing water supplies and that desalination projects take a long time to plan and build. County materials say the goal is to prepare for a more reliable, resilient and drought-proof future supply.
In other words, officials are trying to plan ahead before a water shortage becomes urgent.
How is the plan being funded and approved?
County project materials say the Board of Supervisors authorized staff to move ahead with the DESAL Plan in October 2022. A U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant is helping fund the feasibility study.
A City of San Luis Obispo staff report said city participation would fit with the city’s General Plan water and wastewater policies. The city also said it wanted to be evaluated as a possible partner in a future regional desalination project.
What kinds of projects is the county studying?
County materials say the feasibility work will look at different project alternatives, including different siting and infrastructure ideas. County and regional planning documents describe possible options such as onshore and offshore facilities, co-located or new sites, and reuse of existing outfalls or other infrastructure.
Those ideas are still under study. The county has not announced a final site, final design or final partner list for any future plant.
How can the public weigh in?
Public and stakeholder engagement is part of the process, according to county materials. The county says it is sharing current information with the public, partner agencies, the Water Resources Advisory Committee and the Board of Supervisors.
The county said it held two identical in-person community engagement sessions on April 20 and April 21, 2026. At a community meeting in April, Howard said the county wants to start planning now so it will be ready if communities later decide they need the water.
For now, the DESAL Plan remains a planning effort, not a construction project. The county says the feasibility study will determine what, if anything, makes sense to pursue next.
