Plans for a large surfing pool in Southern California are drawing criticism during the ongoing drought.
The LA Times says a developer has plans for hundreds of homes and a resort with a large wave pool and surf park at the base of Coral Mountain in La Quinta.
If the La Quinta City Council approves the proposal, the sandy ground at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains would become the site of a 12-acre pool.
A group of residents has organized to fight the proposed wave pool, and one of their primary concerns is water.
They argue that, with the Colorado River in a shortage and the Southwest getting hotter and drier with climate change, the area can’t afford to have millions of gallons of precious water filling the giant water feature.
The 18-million-gallon surf park in La Quinta is one of at least five wave pools or lagoons that are planned in the area.
The developer of the 386-acre Coral Mountain project is requesting a zoning change for what was once slated to be a residential development with a golf course.
Instead, they now want to build the wave park along with 600 homes and a hotel with up to 150 rooms.
The developer says the wave basin would be filled from a shallow private well that can pump water considered “non-potable,” and the water would be disinfected and filtered before going into the wave pool.