SACRAMENTO, California: The California Coastal Commission has approved a $140 million desalination plant, amidst an ongoing drought.

Due to environmental concerns, the Coastal Commission rejected a much larger and privately owned plant five months ago, but the South Coast Water District's proposed Doheny Ocean Desalination Project, at one-tenth the size, won unanimous approval.

The plant, which is expected to produce 5 million gallons of drinking water per day, is the first desalination facility that the Coastal Commission has approved since more strict regulations were adopted in 2019.

After the plant's completion, the South Coast Water District would now have its own water supply, instead of relying on water pumped from hundreds of miles away through the State Water Project or the Colorado River.

"We are watching what is happening at the Colorado River, and it is not good. Desalination could be part of that solution for water reliability for a broad region," said Rick Shintaku, of the South Coast Water District, according to Reuters.

While the project must obtain other state permits, the Coastal Commission was seen as the main regulatory hurdle.

However, it is still opposed by various groups, including several Sierra Club activists who spoke against the Doheny project at this week's hearing, when they expressed their concerns about the impact on marine life and the amount of energy required to pump ocean water through the plant's reverse osmosis filters.

In response, the Coastal Commission said that the proposal minimized harmful effects and recommended approval.

Tom Luster, senior environmental scientist on the Coastal Commission staff, said California is studying locations where similar plants could be built.

"This could be replicated at a number of places up and down the coast. It is a fairly small-scale facility, but it provides for the local needs and it frees up water for other communities," he said, as quoted by Reuters.