In May 2020, Voice of OC reported that the Santa Ana regional water board held a public hearing on 15 May on Poseidon Water's request to renew the permit for its planned desalination plant in Huntington Beach. Due to coronavirus restrictions, public comment was possible only by video via Zoom. The plant was planned on a 12-acre power plant plot to supply about 189,000 m³/d. Representatives of the groups Azul and Resource Media criticised the process. The board planned to vote at a special meeting on 31 July.
The report showed how coronavirus restrictions in 2020 also reached permitting for contested desalination projects and raised questions about equal access for the public.
Source: Voice of OC (Kopie im Webarchiv)