Poseidon Water announces application for coastal development permit completed

Officials at Poseidon Water reported Monday the company has received notification from the California Coastal Commission that the application for a coastal development permit for its controversial $1.4-billion water desalination plant will be up for consideration in March.

If it receives approval, Poseidon Water will be able to then negotiate a contract to sell desalinated water to the Orange County Water District and begin construction of the facility.

It is expected to be located adjacent to the AES Huntington Beach Generating Station on Newland Avenue and is proposed to provide 50 million gallons of desalted drinking water a day.

The plant received approvals from the Santa Ana Regional Water Board for a wastewater discharge permit last April.

The process has been contentious since its initial introduction in 1998, with supporters arguing that the Huntington Beach desalination plant will help diversify the state’s water supply amid periods of drought while critics argue that it will increase water costs and worry of its potential impacts on the ocean and environment.

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