As water runs short in California, commission will vote on whether to allow another costly desalination plant

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.