In April 2013, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that Santa Cruz in California and the Soquel Creek Water District had set up a joint information session for 7 May 2013. The subject was the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for scwd2, a regional seawater desalination scheme, expected to be published in mid-May. The planned plant was likely to deliver around 9,500 m³/day (2.5 MGD). Topics included drought shortages, protection of fish and groundwater, and the steps leading to a residents' vote on construction.
The report showed that desalination proposals in California at the time passed through a multi-stage approval and participation process, with environmental review and a public vote preceding any decision to build.