California

Catalina is not connected to the state electric grid. The island is powered by diesel generators and gas micro turbines. These have a large environmental footprint in terms of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Diesel fuel and propane are delivered to the power plant by ships.

Catalina water is expensive, roughly equivalent to what people pay on the mainland to heat water for showers, laundry, etc..

It may cost a few cents to flush a toilet, but that adds up.

The rate structure is highly tiered. Residential users who are highly motivated to conserve water pay about three cents a gallon in the summer. Commercial users can pay six times that.

Across the channel in Carlsbad California the desalinization plant advertises water at "half a penny per gallon." It has access to much less expensive sources of electricity.

The desalinization plant and power plant on Catalina Island are very similar to those found on large cruise ships.

There have been proposals to link Catalina Island to the California grid by an undersea cable, mostly as means of reducing air pollution, but nothing has come of them.