Doheny Ocean Desalination Project
Dana Point, South Orange County, California · United States
A small-to-mid-size ocean desalination project in Dana Point designed around the California Ocean Plan’s preferred environmental approach: fully submerged subsurface slant wells for intake and blended brine discharge through an existing outfall. The Phase 1 design-build-operate contract was awarded in October 2024, with the facility scheduled to come online in 2029.
- Design Capacity
- ≈ 20,000 m³/day (5 MGD)
- Project Value
- ≈ USD 170 million (total capital budget)
- Status
- Design
- Announced
- 2022
- Expected Completion
- 2029
- Client / Offtaker
- South Coast Water District (SCWD)
- EPC Contractor
- J.R. Filanc Construction and ACCIONA (design-build-operate)
- Design Consultant
- Hazen
- Technology
- Seawater RO fed by subsurface slant wells
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Dana Point, South Orange County, California
- Last Verified
- 2024-12-11
Why This Project Matters
Doheny is a useful case study in how modern intake and brine-management regulation shapes desalination plant design. Subsurface intakes largely avoid marine-life entrainment, while blending brine with treated effluent lowers discharge salinity — both are the environmental pattern most likely to be replicated in future U.S. ocean desalination projects.
Timeline
-
Permitting under way
Major permits adopted, including the NPDES discharge permit and coastal development approvals.
-
Design-build-operate contract awarded
SCWD awards the Phase 1 PDBOM contract to the Filanc / ACCIONA joint venture with Hazen.
-
Facility online target
Projected plant start-up per the district’s published schedule.
Verification & Sources
EngiMetric tracks project facts against public sources only. Every value above (capacity, value, parties, status, dates) is cited. Content last verified on 2024-12-11.