OceanWell proposes deep‑ocean desalination pilot for Southern California, seeks permitting reforms

Jonathan Haswell, chief operating officer of OceanWell LLC, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee that his company’s deep‑ocean desalination system uses reverse osmosis in deep seawater—about 1,500 feet below the surface—to reduce energy and pretreatment needs and limit marine impacts.

Haswell said OceanWell’s modular subsea pods each produce about 1,000,000 gallons per day, that a planned first water farm in Southern California could deliver roughly 50,000,000 gallons per day, and that the design targets about a 30‑year lifespan for each pod. He described the technology as avoiding many conventional desalination impacts—reduced chemical pretreatment, smaller onshore footprint and lower pumping energy—and said a pilot is under way with Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

In testimony and exchanges with members, Haswell emphasized permitting and stakeholder engagement as central barriers to deployment. He asked Congress to ensure federal permitting and grant programs account for new technologies and to support public‑private partnerships. Representative McClintock and Representative Huffman discussed engineering and permitting questions, and Haswell answered technical queries about intake design, recovery rates and brine outfall, saying OceanWell’s deep intake and a “life safe cross flow intake” subsystem are intended to limit marine impacts and that the system targets about 15% recovery to produce a low‑concentration brine outfall.

Haswell said OceanWell has engaged 26 California water agencies in a work group led by Las Virgenes and is collaborating with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on development steps. Members encouraged the company to provide permitting details and study results to the committee for further evaluation.