MONTEREY, Calif.- There is still a lot to be fleshed out with this plan Cal Am has proposed, not only does it have to be approved by the Ca Public Utilities Commission, peninsula mayors are listening to the propsal from Cal Am.
The main difference from the original regional desalination project that fell apart is Cal Am isn't hanging it's hat only on a desal plant. Now there's a three-pronged approach.
The cost will be a little less than the $400 million price tag of the original project.
Peninsula water rates will still go up in the next few years before the state's deadline of 2016 to reduce how much water is pumped out of the Carmel River.
Here's the three pronged approach: First, a desalination plant in north Marina.
Second, expanding Cal Am's aquifer storage program in Seaside. Third, buy water from the Peninsula's Groundwater Replenishment project, a form of recycling water.
Carmel mayor Jason Burnett said he will have questions for Cal Am at presentation.
"Who should own and operate this? What are the pros and cons of Cal Am versus a public enity or a public private partnership. Second, who should finance it and how should it be structured? The third, a question of the technical proposal where it's located and how it would technically operate?" said Burnett.
There is some question as to why Pacific Grove's city council voted to look further into The People's Moss Landing Desal Project last week when no other peninsula city has seriously looked into it.
Pacific Grove's city council spent about an hour talking about this last week, 6 of the 7 people involved voted to move ahead.
Central Coast News checked with the Monterey County Elections office Monday, listed on Garcia's campaign disclosure forms is Moss Landing Commercial Park LLC for $2,000 in March.
Central Coast News reached out to the state's Fair Political Practices Comission who handles these things, we're still waiting to hear back.
In prior conflict of interest cases, the big question is: Would it have been better for Garcia to remove herself from that vote because it was an obvious campaign supporter?
Plans for the original desal plan broke down because one of its main supporters, Steve Collins, had a conflict of interest.
He pushed for the desal plant to happen, while working for a company that would make money from it.
