Marin Municipal Water District News

 

Desalination Remains an Option following Crucial
Board Vote

On August 19, the MMWD board voted unanimously to approve a 5-million-gallon-per-day desalination facility. The plant could be expanded to 15 million gallons per day, if necessary. However, before actually building a desal plant, permits, design, issuance of debt, and construction contracts would all be subject to public review and comment. Desal is one of several options for future water supply that are still being pursued.

Lawsuit filed against Marin water district to halt desalination plans,
(Marin IJ, 09/21/2009)

Dick Spotswood: Desalination vote shows political courage
Marin IJ (8/30/20)

 

 

Sonoma County Water Agency Drops Water Projects

SCWA has dropped its 20-year effort to upgrade distribution pipelines. It has also given up its water-rights application to the State Water Resources Board to acquire an additional 26,000 acre-feet from Lake Sonoma each year. SCWA's board decided that it would simply be too costly ($600 million to $1 billion) to make those improvements.

SCWA's decisions greatly impact the North Marin Water District, which gets 80% of its water from SCWA, and Marin Municipal Water District, which gets 20-25% of its water from SCWA.

Sonoma scuttles water system expansion despite pleas from Marin (Marin IJ, 09/15/2009)

 

 

MMWD Appoints New Board Member

MMWD board picks successor for late director's seat
(Marin IJ, 09/03/2009)

 

[photo by RomanEye / Bob Gorman, used in accordance with Creative Commons License]

North Marin Water District News

Novato customers will receive a 20% increase in the cost of water for 2009-10, beginning June 1. The rate will then increase by approximately 11% in each of the four subsequent fiscal years. Reasons include a 25% increase in the cost of water that NMWD buys from Sonoma County Water Agency (the source of 80% of the NMWD's water), low reserves, and $35 million in projects over the last decade without proportionate rate hikes. Read Marin IJ article

The second phase of the NMWD Emergency Water Conservation Ordinance Number 22 (pdf) was approved by the board on May 19, whereby the Moderate Mandatory Conservation (25% reduction) prohibitions are in effect as of June 1, 2009. These "non-essential use" prohibitions are in addition to those of the first phase, in effect since March 1, 2009. See summary on NMWD website.

On February 3, the NMWD board voted unanimously to backfill Stafford Lake with an extra shipment of water from the Russian River. Read Marin IJ article

On February 17, the NMWD held a public hearing, declaring a Water Shortage Emergency and passing an Emergency Water Conservation ordinance.

MMWD paid $1 million to have NMWD purchase and treat 1,000 AF of water, which MMWD will then have access to during the summer months. Read Novato Advance article

[Photo by rustinpc, used in accordance with Creative Commons License.]

Less Water Available from Russian River

 

Sonoma County Water Agency Drops Water Projects

SCWA has dropped its 20-year effort to upgrade distribution pipelines. It has also given up its water-rights application to the State Water Resources Board to acquire an additional 26,000 acre-feet from Lake Sonoma each year. SCWA's board decided that it would simply be too costly ($600 million to $1 billion) to make those changes. They also note the National Marine Fisheries report that indicates the demand for additional water would be harmful to salmon species. SCWA's decisions greatly impact the North Marin Water District, which gets 80% of its water from SCWA, and Marin Municipal Water District, which gets 20-25% of its water from SCWA.

Sonoma scuttles water system expansion despite pleas from Marin (Marin IJ, 09/15/2009)

 

 

 

 

The North Marin Water District and Marin Municipal Water District can both expect to receive less water from the Russian River this year — at least 30% less, as the Sonoma County Water Agency deals with water shortages of its own. Read San Franciso Business Times article

[Photo by razzmatazlady, used in accordance with Creative Commons License.]

Essential Reading

MMWD: Planning for our Long-Term Water Supply
(especially the PowerPoint presentation)

MMWD: 2009 Water Supply Outlook

Water Facts

The Marin Municipal Water District serves residents of central and southern Marin. 75% of the water consumed comes from waterfall accumulated in 7 reservoirs. 25% comes from the Russian River in Sonoma County.

The North Marin Water District serves residents of Novato and some West Marin communities. 80% of its water is purchased from the Sonoma County Water Agency, which collects water from the Russian River. 20% comes from Stafford Lake, which generally holds accumulated rainfall.

An acre-foot of water is approximately 325,851gallons, enough to cover an acre of surface with one foot of water. There's expected to be a 3,000 AF shortfall in water supply for the MMWD in 2009.

An acre-foot will supply three Marin households for one year.

Water Rate Hike

An 8.25% rate increase for MMWD customers went into effect on May 5. According to officials, while the cost of doing business has gone up greatly over the past 15 years, the rates were not increased to keep up with those costs, and adjustments need to be made now. The revenues are to be used to maintain and improve the water delivery infrastructure and for conservation programs. The increase does not address the cost of building a desal plant, a water supply option that is still being considered by the Board. Get more details

 

Desalination Option Debate Continues

Conservation, rather than desalination, is the best way to maintain Marin's water supply claims a June 3 report issued by Food and Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer organization. Report: Desal plant is not needed (Marin IJ, June 3, 2009)

Former MMWD General Manager J. Dietrich Stroeh retorts that the recommendations in the report have been studied or already implemented and that we need to use every water-supply option at our disposal, including a desalination plant. Water report is 'dribble' (Marin IJ, June 9, 2009)

Increased conservation will not be sufficient to ensure Marin's water supply should another drought occur, and other options, such as getting more water from Sonoma County or using recycled water are not viable (supply and legal problems complicate the former, and prohibitive expense dooms the latter). Desal is "the one option that guarantees a reliable, locally controlled supply of new water in times of drought," writes Lucas Valley resident Don McEnhill in a letter to the editor.
Keep desal option (Marin IJ, June 14, 2009)

The methods of conservation proposed by the Food and Water Watch report would be, gallon for gallon, more expensive than desalination and ultimately unsustainble. Furthermore, the recommendation to expand the reservoirs is a political nonstarter in Marin, writes Richard Rubin, political pundit and teacher of politics at USF.
Real water solutions or false promises? (Marin IJ, June 14, 2009)