But what the group, formed in June to educate the public, hoped would be a debate was instead planned by Sen. Joe Simitian's office as a public information meeting, with little chance for the group to speak.

Almost 45 percent of Sunnyvale gets its water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which switched its sanitation system from chlorine to chloramine--a combination of chlorine and ammonia--in February 2004. Following the change, some residents on the Peninsula began having reactions similar to asthma attacks when exposed to the water or water vapors.

The SFPUC, which claims chloramine is a better, cheaper long-term disinfectant, has said repeatedly that no studies show that chloramine is dangerous, but the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health warns that chloramine irritates the eyes and respiratory tract and can cause asthmatic symptoms if inhaled.

It was this information that Concerned Citizens founder and President Denise Johnson-Kula hoped to share at the debate. But on Sept. 30, the Concerned Citizens learned the meeting would not include a debate.

The Concerned Citizens had a number of additional objections. The panel at the meeting would include three SFPUC representatives and a state official; the Concerned Citizens would not be able to answer the questions that Simitian was planning to ask

Because of those concerns--and others--the Concerned Citizens Against Chloramine declined the offer.

"I feel like we were just strung along. I'm just stunned; I told them how important it was that both sides had a chance to be heard," Johnson-Kula said. "We wanted the public to have both sides, and make their own decision, as they should."

Simitian's press director Hema Mohan said the senator had never agreed to a debate and had decided that a public information meeting was the best choice.

Without the debate, Johnson-Kula said the group was going back to holding its own public information meetings. It has already met in Menlo Park, San Francisco and other affected areas.

For more information on the Concerned Citizens Against Chloramine, visit www.chloramine.org.