| MMWD Board of Directors |
Jack Gibson
President
Cynthia Koehler
Vice President
David Behar
Armando Quintero Larry Russell
Regular meetings of the MMWD Board of Directors are held at 7:30 pm the first and third Wednesday of every month in the District Board Room, 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera. Special meetings are scheduled as needed. All board meetings are open to the public.
(415) 945-1455
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Public Meetings
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Wed., June 1, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
Board Room
Thurs., June 2, 7:00-9:00 pm
MT. TAMALPAIS WATERSHED ORGANIZATION
Bacich School
699 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Kentfield, CA
Wed., June 15, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
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RAINFALL FOR YEAR WELL ABOVE AVERAGE; RESERVOIRS CLOSE TO CAPACITY |
Rainfall as measured at Lake Lagunitas on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed is well above average this year, measuring 66.34 inches as of May 25 (since July 1, 2010). Average for the same date is 51.89 inches; rainfall last year on the same date was 57.65 inches.
MMWD's seven reservoirs are also above average at 98-percent capacity. Average reservoir storage for this date is 87 percent.
Current rainfall and reservoir figures can be found on the homepage of our website.
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BOARD VOTES TO INCREASE RATES BY 4 PERCENT STARTING JUNE 1
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At a public hearing Monday evening the MMWD Board of Directors voted to enact a 4-percent rate increase that goes into effect June 1, 2011. The new rates will be reflected in meter readings and water bills beginning August 1, 2011.
Under the new rates the average customer's bill will go up $3.72 per two-month billing period, increasing from $90.72 to $94.44 based on the average use of 21 CCFs* of water in a two-month period. The average customer is billed at the Tier 1 level, which tops out at 26 CCFs in the summer and 21 CCFs in the winter. Approximately 70 percent of MMWD customers keep their consumption at the Tier 1 level in the summer and 80 percent do so in the winter. Higher water users are billed at tiers 2, 3 or 4, depending on their consumption.
Even with the new rates, clean, reliable water delivered 24/7 is a good value--211 gallons cost just $1.00.
*One CCF, or hundred cubic feet, is 748 gallons
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WATER RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO RECEIVE RATE STRUCTURE REPORT IN JUNE |
A new citizens' committee, the MMWD Water Rate Advisory Committee, will hear a presentation at the June 22 meeting from independent consultant Black & Veatch on a cost-of-service study conducted by the consultant for MMWD. The study details Black & Veatch's analysis of MMWD's rate structure and how costs are spread among the various customer categories.
MMWD convened the water rate advisory committee in March of this year to provide recommendations to the board on possible changes to the current rate structure, which has been in place, with minor adjustments, since 2003. The current rate structure has a basic meter charge for all customers and a water use charge with four inclining tiers based on water use. While most of MMWD's customers are single-family residential, the district also has multi-family residential, commercial, institutional and irrigation-only accounts. Each customer category has a slightly different rate structure.
The district's goal for any new rate structure is one that secures a more consistent base revenue stream for the district and allocates costs fairly and accurately across all customer categories.
The citizens' committee will continue to meet monthly for the next several months before making any rate structure recommendations to the MMWD Board of Directors. As the study period moves forward and the committee starts to formulate its recommendations, MMWD will share the information with the community at large and will solicit community input.
The committee's June 22 meeting is from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and is open to the public. It will be held in the MMWD Board Room, 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera.
Background materials provided to the committee are available online.
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PUBLIC WORKSHOP ON NEW MT. TAMALPAIS WATERSHED ORGANIZATION ON JUNE 2 |
On Thursday, June 2, MMWD is hosting the third in a series of workshops for interested community members to discuss plans for developing a citizen-based, non-profit organization dedicated to enhanced stewardship of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed.
The district has created a draft business plan to guide the organization's development and is soliciting the public's comments before finalizing the plan. Comments are being accepted until June 3, 2011 and may be submitted by mail or email to:
Friends Plan Comments
Attn: Mike Swezy
Marin Municipal Water District
220 Nellen Avenue
Corte Madera, CA 94925
mswezy@marinwater.org
Registration for the June 2 workshop is optional but will help for planning purposes. The workshop is from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Bacich School, 699 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield.
Anyone with questions about the meeting or the plan can contact MMWD Watershed Manager Mike Swezy (mswezy@marinwater.org or 945-1190).
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| TEST RESULTS SHOW NO RADIATION FROM JAPAN IN MMWD WATER |
Sampling of MMWD's treated drinking water on April 18, 2011 from all treatment plants showed no evidence of radioactivity related to the Fukashima power plant incident in Japan in March. Tests were performed on the treated reservoir water at MMWD's treatment plants as well as on the water purchased from the Sonoma County Water Agency.
A broad screening test was used in order to capture the types of radioactive particles that could possibly reach California as a result of the incident. The screening test totals all "beta particles" and has a drinking water regulatory limit of 50 pCi/L (picoCuries* per liter). The test results showed no radioactive particles at even the lowest detectable level (2 pCi/L) used by the independent laboratory that performed the analyses. This detection limit is even lower than the standard laboratory test sensitivity level required by the State of California, which is 4 pCi/L.
The drinking water regulatory limit of 50 pCi/L is designed with the intent to protect human health assuming the continuous ingestion of two liters of water per day for 70 years. It is not designed for isolated or infrequent exposure to this concentration, which presents far less of an impact to human health. Regardless, it is reassuring to receive test results confirming that the drinking water provided by MMWD has not been affected by events in Japan.
*A measure of radioactive isotope decay
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| MMWD RELEASES 2011 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT |
MMWD has released its 2011 Annual Water Quality Report, which shows, once again, that the water provided by MMWD meets, and in fact surpasses, all state and federal health regulations. The water quality information is reported annually in compliance with requirements established by the California Department of Public Health and the US Environmental Protection Agency and as a policy of MMWD to inform customers of the contents of their drinking water and water quality standards.
In order to keep the report simple and relevant, state and/or federal regulations specifically require drinking water suppliers to report test results for detected contaminants only. The contaminants reported include primary standards for contaminants that affect health, secondary standards for contaminants that affect the aesthetic properties of water, such as odor, taste and appearance, and certain additional contaminants for which standards do not exist. Each year MMWD conducts over 120,000 water quality tests from the watershed to the faucet.
MMWD is in the process of mailing this year's report to all 62,000 customers in central and southern Marin as a bill insert and is sending it in a special mailing to approximately 50,000 apartment dwellers and others who do not receive a water bill.
The 2011 report is available in English and in Spanish online and in print. To request printed copies, call the MMWD Water Quality Lab at 945-1550. |
NEW URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW JUNE 10
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MMWD's updated version of its Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), which is required by the State of California every five years, will be available for public review and comments on June 10. The MMWD Board of Directors will adopt the plan later in June. The UWMP will include MMWD's drought contingency plan, a description of the district's recycled water program, projected water demands and estimated supply.
The previous plan is available online. |
| REPORT ON 10,000 RAIN GARDENS PROJECT AVAILABLE |
The final report of the 10,000 Rain Gardens Project, a partnership between MMWD and SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network), was released earlier this month to MMWD directors and the public. The project dates back to December 2009 when MMWD selected and contracted with SPAWN to launch the one-year rainwater harvesting pilot program to encourage innovative water conservation projects within the district.
The goals of the 10,000 Rain Gardens Project were to perform widespread public outreach and customer service related to rainwater harvesting, provide educational and training opportunities, implement demonstration projects, and foster understanding about the benefits of rainwater harvesting for water conservation and for reducing stormwater runoff that can harm water quality, creek habitat and wildlife.
SPAWN created and led six public workshops, designed and installed five public demonstration projects, conducted over 60 landowner consultations, and created a traveling exhibit and new website to serve as a rainwater resource site (see http://raingardens.spawnusa.org/). |
| NEW FROM THE MMWD BLOG |
Check out these recent blog posts:
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
| We welcome your comments and need your help raising awareness about water in Marin. Please share this information with your members and constituents. Thank you!
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