The Carlsbad Desaliantion pilot plant is a good educational tool for the community. Above Carlsbad Cub Scouts learn about where their drinking water comes from.

Click on image to enlarge

The scale model operates under the same conditions that the full-size project will. This allows Poseidon to demonstrate the reliability and viability of the technology, and confirm that appropriate environmental safeguards are in place and working properly.

Click on image to enlarge

In 2006, the pilot plant was awarded the prestigious Global Grand Prize for Applied Research from the International Water Association (IWA), a global network of water professionals in science, research, technology and practice.

IWA established the Project Innovations Award Program to recognize excellence and innovation in water engineering projects. The award is considered the highest international recognition a company in the water industry can receive.

Poseidon's seawater desalination research and development program has also won the Environmental Engineering Award from American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

Tours are scheduled so guests can see the intake area where seawater enters the system and then watch as it is processed into high quality drinking water in 20 minutes. They can even taste the product water right on-site.

Observers can see the on-site desalination fish tank, a 200-gallon aquarium where the most sensitive local sea dwellers are flourishing in the by-product water from the desalination process.