CARMEL, Calif.- The debate over building a water desal plant on the Monterey peninsula continues.
Several Central Coast mayors signed a confidentially agreement promising not to talk about the plant and it's legal problems for at least 90 days.
Today, one city council member blasted that decision, "I don't have a clue what they're thinking," said Monterey city councilwoman Libby Downey.
The agencies responsible for getting the desal plant passed are already under fire over how the project manager was approved, with a possible conflict of interest, and potential cover up.
While peninsula mayors avoid talking about the regional desal project drama, other peninsula city councilmembers want to talk about a back up plan.
Monday, Carmel city councilman Jason Burnett talked with over 50 people at his town hall meeting including Pacific grove councilman Bill Kampe and Monterey city councilwoman Libby Downey.
"Neither one of us was there to downgrade the water project. We were there to say 'Hey if that doesn't happen, what other options are there?'"
That is a good question. While most of the agencies involved in the desal plant are facing legal problems over a potential conflict of interest, the CA Public Utilities Commission is still telling them "you need a water plan."
"The current water project as we know it may not come to fruition because of all of these allegations of criminal wrong-doing and if that's the case that project begins to fall apart...So we need to be working today to build a contingency for that," said Burnett.
The state is has mandated that whatever is taken from the Carmel River must be replenished and everyone knows that this regional desal project has taken years upon years to figure out. The question is: If there's a Plan B, what does it look like?
"I don't know but I think we need to start developing that." Burnett said he doesn't see a huge problem with the facility or its location but he is concerned about the projects management and he's not alone.
"We made still need some desal but it needs to be done with a different arrangement as far as governance," said Downey.
