At a Glance

Brian Dugan Project Prior to Edgemoor

Sector:  Water / Infrastructure

Location:  Carlsbad, CA

Delivery:  Public-Private Partnership | Design-Build-Finance-Operate

Scale:  50 Million Gallons Per Day | 56,000 Acre-Feet Per Year

Certification:  First Net-Zero Carbon Water Infrastructure Project in California

Result: Largest Desalination Plant In Western Hemisphere 

The Situation 

Southern California faces long-standing water supply challenges driven by population growth, climate variability, and reliance on imported water sources. Traditional supplies dependent on snowpack and rainfall no longer provided the reliability required to support the region's long-term needs.

Public agencies identified desalination as a critical part of a diversified, locally controlled water supply strategy, and the question became how to deliver it at meaningful scale, with operational reliability, environmental responsibility, and long-term certainty all built in from the start.

Advancing a New Water Supply 

The Claude 'Bud' Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant was developed to provide a local, drought-proof water supply by drawing from the region's most abundant resource: the Pacific Ocean. Located adjacent to the Encina Power Station in Carlsbad, the facility was designed to integrate advanced desalination technology with existing infrastructure.

Brian Dugan was part of the project delivery team supporting the advancement of this complex infrastructure effort from development through operations. The project delivers 50 million gallons of high-quality drinking water per day, supplying approximately 56,000 acre-feet of new water annually to San Diego County.

Structuring for Long-Term Performance 

A 30-year Water Purchase Agreement with the San Diego County Water Authority provides long-term certainty for both delivery and operations. This structure aligns incentives around consistent performance, predictable costs, and system reliability over multiple decades.

The plant operates as a complement to conservation, recycling, and imported water supplies, strengthening the overall resilience of the regional water system.

Environmental and Community Integration 

The facility was designed with environmental stewardship built into its operations from day one. As the first major California infrastructure project to achieve net-zero carbon operations, the plant offsets every ton of emissions it produces. The project also restored 66 acres of wetlands in San Diego Bay and dedicated more than 15 acres of lagoon and oceanfront land for public access and recreation, ensuring that the surrounding ecosystem and community benefited alongside the region's water supply.

Lasting Civic Impact 

Since beginning operations in December 2015, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant has delivered more than 100 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water to the residents and businesses of San Diego County, meeting roughly 10 percent of the region's water demand and serving the equivalent of 400,000 people every day. The facility has become a foundational piece of the region's water security strategy, reducing San Diego's dependence on the Colorado River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, two over-allocated sources that grow more contested each year. Through every drought California has faced since the plant came online, the desalinated water has flowed without interruption, giving the region a locally controlled supply that does not rely on rainfall, snowpack, or pipelines stretching hundreds of miles across the desert.

Looking ahead, the plant's role has only grown. In early 2026, Arizona and Nevada began exploring agreements to access San Diego's water in exchange for Colorado River allocations, with the Carlsbad plant making that kind of regional water-sharing possible. What began as a project to secure San Diego's water future is now reshaping how the entire Southwest thinks about water.

Recognition 

Global Water Intelligence — Desalination Deal of the Year 

Investor Magazine — North American Infrastructure Deal of the Year