In March 2020, the Orange County Register reported that the Regional Water Quality Control Board had called off its March 13 workshop on Poseidon's planned desalination plant in Huntington Beach because of the coronavirus. A staff report offered possible grounds for approval but left room for the board to ask for changes. Poseidon Water still lacked permits from the board and from the Coastal Commission. Program manager Mark Smythe named April 3 as a possible new date, while the vote could slip to late May.
The report showed how the 21-year process for the 1 billion dollar plant kept dragging on. Water demand and the mitigation areas in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands remained the disputed points.
Source: Orange County Register