San Francisco judge smacks down Marina Coast attempt to recoup $18 million from failed desal project.

Today was a rough one for Marina Coast Water District.

In a tentative ruling released Friday, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow sided with Monterey County Water Resources Agency and California American Water against Marina Coast, and it means the little public water agency is out a whole lot of dough.

Marina Coast had sued Cal Am and the county, its former partners in the failed Regional Desalination Project. It claimed Cal Am is still required to reimburse the approximately $18 million Marina Coast sank into the project, as stipulated in a suite of agreements the partners signed.

Cal Am and the county maintained that former MCWRA board member Stephen Collins' conflict of interest (he was getting paid by a project consultant while serving on the board) rendered the agreements void, meaning they didn't have to reimburse Marina Coast.

Marina Coast argued that thanks to a statute of limitations barring lawsuits after 60 days, the agreements still stand.

But the judge agreed with the defense's argument.

"We hope no more public money will be spent chasing invalid claims," county officials stated in a press release Friday afternoon.

Under the tentative ruling, the reimbursement, settlement, water purchase and project management agreements are void. Only the credit-line agreement remains valid.