California Coastal Commission rejects seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach
Plans for desalination plant rejected
A California coastal panel on rejected a long-standing proposal to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination plant to turn Pacific Ocean water into drinking water as the state grapples with persistent drought that is expected to worsen in coming years with climate change.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - The California Coastal Commission rejected the $1.4 billion Poseidon Water desalination plant proposal.
Had the proposal gotten the green light, it would have turned seawater from the shores of Orange County into drinking water.
The now-rejected project was aimed to take about 107 million gallons of seawater to produce 50 million gallons of drinking water.
Leading up to the vote, opponents shared concerns over environmental conservation, marine life, and also the rise in water bills.
"California continues to face a punishing drought, with no end in sight," a statement issued by Poseidon Water said. "Every day, we see new calls for conservation as reservoir levels drop to dangerous lows. We firmly believe that this desalination project would have created a sustainable, drought-tolerant source of water."