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Poseidon Water came a step closer to building its controversial $1.4-billion water desalination plant on Thursday.
Following hours of deliberation, the Santa Ana Regional Water Board agreed to grant Poseidon a wastewater discharge permit that would allow the project adjacent to the AES power station on Newland Street to move ahead.
On Thursday night after a 10-plus hour meeting, the board voted 4-3 to issue the permit, a compromise proposed by board member Daniel Selmi and dubbed “prohibition with an off-ramp.” The permit would allow the company to operate the facility before all of its permits are granted, a process that would more than likely take years to complete. But Poseidon would have to check several boxes on all five of its proposed mitigation projects before the discharge prohibition is lifted.