California Approves Large Desalination Plant To Help With Drought

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As California continues to face an intense drought, regulators are preparing to approve a controversial process.

According to Reuters, regulators are reportedly ready to approve a desalination plant in Huntington Beach.

Poseidon Water has spent 22 years and $100 million navigating state regulations and environmentalists.

Environmentalists say desalination destroys ocean life and costs too much money and energy, according to Reuters. Desalination is defined as "the process of removing salt from seawater."

The Coastal Commission is expected to vote on Poseidon's permit application before the end of the year.

“The Pacific Ocean is the largest reservoir in the world,” said Scott Maloni Poseidon vice president. “It’s always full.”

Poseidon has operated a plant in Carlsbad since 2015 when it was approved locally before California adopted regulations for desalination plants.

The Carlsbad plant, the largest in the U.S., produces 50 million gallons of drinking water daily, which is enough for 400,000 homes and meets 10% of San Diego County's water demand, reports Reuters.

If the Huntington Beach plant is approved, it would produce a similar amount of water, enough for 16% of the homes in the Orange County Water District.

The Orange County Water District's board president Steve Sheldon is a supporter of the plant saying, "We have to balance that [the impact on ocean life] with our human need for water."


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