CHULA VISTA -- A mitigation project to offset potential environmental impacts of a desalination plant under construction in Carlsbad was unanimously approved on Wednesday as the California Coastal Commission began three days of meetings in San Diego County.

Under the plan, Poseidon Resources, the developer of the plant, will restore 66 acres of coastal wetlands in the Otay River floodplain in the South Bay.

Poseidon will enter into a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the restoration of the area.

Company Vice President Stan Williams said Poseidon will now begin work on a final design for the project.

The desalination plant will take water from the ocean and convert it to about 50 million gallons of drinking water daily, with completion slated for next year. Environmental groups waged a bitter fight against the plant, saying it would destroy local fisheries and habitat.

The commission will also meet Thursday and Friday at Chula Vista City Hall.