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| Letter to Marin Municipal Water District | |
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The League of Women Voters of Marin County has followed closely the activities of the Marin Municipal Water District. Two League members served on the MMWD board, others have served on citizen advisory committees on the issues of water supply and price, and we have monitored the district board meetings for twenty years, as a matter of routine.
The LWV carefully follows the process that governments use to develop policies and make decisions. Having watched the MMWD board and staff work for years to plan for future needs, we believe that the process has been excellent, with a wealth of information and numerous special events to keep the public aware of the issues and options. This open and inclusive process has been indispensable to us in understanding the complex issues and the choices available to the board. We have observed the development of the district's planning on the issues of future water demand, supply, and price. We agree with the staff's conclusions on a number of points. We agree that there is a deficit in the supply of water, and that it must be met with new supply. Except for the plan to pump an additional 1000AF from Kent Lake, the district has reached its legal limit under federal law for diverting water from the watershed. While we think that the commitment of $43 million through 2025 to be invested in conservation programs is important and impressive, in addition to nearly $12 million since 1999, we agree with the staff that the supply deficit cannot be remedied by conservation alone. The League of Women Voters of Marin County endorses the package of supply options that the district has developed to meet future needs. That package includes additional water from the Sonoma County Water Agency and desalination as options for new supplies of water. However, the current supply from SCWA has been reduced because of impairments in the delivery system and drought conditions in Sonoma County. Desalination remains the only guaranteed, locally controlled source of new water during a drought. While desalination is an expensive alternative that will increase the district's already high use of energy, we think that significant steps are being planned to mitigate that impact, and that having desalination as part of the supply package is reasonable and responsible. And no matter which programs are used to meet the need for water, there will be no cheap water in our future, not for this district or any other. Margy Eller, LWVMC President |
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