In November 2019, the Laguna Beach Independent reported that the South Coast Water District board had asked on 14 November for an explanation of the drilling method for the planned Doheny desalination project. Brian Villalobos of GEOSCIENCE Support Services recommended slant wells off Doheny State Beach, where test wells had run for 18 months. The plant was to supply 35,000 residents and 1,000 businesses as well as two million annual visitors. Vice President Dennis Erdman called for firm purchase commitments from neighbouring agencies.
The report showed that, besides the intake technology, the key open question at Doheny was which agencies in south Orange County would buy the desalinated water.