American Water Works (AWK) said Wednesday that the Monterey County Superior Court last week denied requests to overturn coastal development permits granted in 2022 by the California Coastal Commission for California American Water's Monterey desalination project.

The permits were challenged by the City of Marina, Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, and Marina Coast Water District.

California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works, is pursuing the Monterey Peninsula water supply project to address Monterey's need for a drought-proof water supply.

Next steps in the project include the expansion of water recycling by public agency partners and improvements to aquifer storage and recovery, according to the company.