Los Angeles (CNN) As California battles a historic drought and a water crisis looms, the state's coastline protection agency is poised to vote Thursday on whether it will allow a $1.4 billion desalination plant in Huntington Beach that would convert ocean water into municipal water for Orange County residents. Poseidon Water, which has been trying to build the plant for decades, says it would be capable of producing up to 50 million gallons of drinking water a day, helping to make the region more drought resilient. But desalination opponents argue less expensive and less harmful conservation tactics should be the first resort. Charged with "protecting and enhancing" the state's extensive coastline, the California Coastal Commission is an agency of 12 members appointed or chosen by state lawmakers and the governor. Ahead of the vote, its staff recommended against the facility, pointing in part to desalination's incredible energy consumption, its impacts on marine life, projected sea level rise and the cost of the resulting water itself -- with that cost being passed on to customers.

Source: CNN May 12, 2022 22:53 UTC