| 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., Nov. 2, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
Wed., Nov. 16, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
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CURRENT WATER STATS
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Here are the latest water supply and demand figures:
- Reservoir Levels - As of October 21, the reservoirs contain 63,910 acre-feet,* or 80 percent of capacity. This volume is well above the average for this date of 50,803 acre-feet, or 64 percent of capacity.
- Water Use - Water production for the week ending October 21 was 23 million gallons, less than the 25.6 million gallons for the same week in 2010.
- Creek Releases - For the month of September water releases into Lagunitas Creek averaged 4.3 MGD (million gallons per day) and into Walker Creek averaged 3.1 MGD. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreement with the State of California.
- Rainfall - As of October 21, we have already received more rainfall than we normally receive in the entire month. Average rainfall for the month of October is 2.78 inches. To date we have received 3.40 inches for October 2011. Rainfall is measured at Lake Lagunitas.
Rainfall and reservoir figures can be found on the homepage of our website.
*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.
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| MMWD COMPLETES YEAR 14 OF FIRE FLOW MASTER PLAN |
Fiscal year 2010-11 saw the successful completion of Year 14 of the 15-year Fire Flow Master Plan. The plan was initiated in 1997-98 to increase the water system's ability to provide more water for fire protection and to strengthen the system to withstand the impacts of an earthquake.
In the last fiscal year a total of 19,300 feet (3.65 miles) of pipe was installed in San Rafael, Mill Valley and Greenbrae as well as on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. Since the program's existence a total of 70 miles of larger pipe and 750 new or larger fire hydrants have been installed in all 10 towns and cities in MMWD's 147-square-mile service area as well as in unincorporated areas.
The Fire Flow Master Plan is funded by a $75 per parcel annual fee that is collected with property taxes.
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WATER RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE CLOSING IN ON RECOMMENDATION
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The MMWD Water Rate Advisory Committee, a citizens' committee formed last spring to advise the Board of Directors on potential changes to the rate structure, is getting closer to declaring their findings, with just three meetings remaining on the calendar. The committee has taken a look at seven potential rate structure options and the impacts of each option on all customer types: residential, commercial, institutional and irrigation only.
Questions currently under discussion include:
- How much of MMWD's capital improvement program should be paid for through rate dollars compared to bonded debt?
- How much of MMWD's revenue should be derived from the meter service charge, a fixed cost to customers, compared to revenue from the sale of water, which is variable depending on use?
- How best to spread costs fairly among the various customer categories and between low water users and high water users?
The citizens' committee will continue to meet through November and then make a recommendation to the board regarding possible changes to MMWD's rate structure. 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. 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 committee meetings are open to the public. The next meeting is Wednesday, October 26, at 7:00 pm. Background materials provided to the committee are available here .
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FALL/WINTER 2011-12 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
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MMWD has several pipeline replacement projects under way this fall, some of which will continue into the winter months. With almost 900 miles of pipe in our water system, we must constantly replace old sections as they reach the end of their useful life. The cost to replace pipe averages $200 per foot. Fortunately, new pipe has an average lifespan of 100-plus years. Currently new pipes are being installed in the following areas:
- Lagunitas (San Geronimo Valley), 2,960 feet
- Dominican section of San Rafael, 4,070 feet
- Woodacre (San Geronimo Valley), 4,210 feet
- Jordan Avenue (San Anselmo), 2,000 feet
MMWD and the various contractors are working to minimize traffic impacts. There are also active construction projects on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. Three popular roads are being closed weekdays as needed this fall for slide repair work. The affected routes are Sky Oaks Road, the main entrance to the watershed, and two fire roads: Concrete Pipe Road and Shaver Grade. Every effort will be made to open the roads to visitors after work hours and on weekends. Visit marinwater.org for updates.
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DELGADO NAMED NEW FINANCE MANAGER
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Earlier this month the MMWD Board of Directors named MMWD Interim Finance Manager Oreen Delgado to the post of finance manager on a permanent basis. Delgado was assigned to the position of interim finance manager in December 2010 following the retirement of Terry Stigall.
Delgado joined MMWD as an accountant in 1993 and became the assistant finance manager in 1999. During her tenure, Delgado has been responsible for implementing a number of initiatives, including the successful installation of SAP enterprise software system, the SAP public budget formulation module, a new rate model and more.
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MT. TAMALPAIS WATERSHED GLYPHOSATE STUDY RESULTS AVAILABLE
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A new report entitled "Environmental Decay of Glyphosate in Broom-infested Mt. Tamalpais Soils and its Transport Through Stormwater Runoff and Soil Column Infiltration" is available on the watershed reports page of MMWD's website. The study was conducted by Hyun-Min Hwang and Thomas M. Young from the Environmental Quality Lab of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Davis.
MMWD commissioned the study in 2009 with the goal of measuring the environmental dissipation half-life of glyphosate in broom-infested Mt. Tamalpais soils. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used to kill weeds including invasive species such as French broom.
The study is part of MMWD's research to identify feasible and safe methods of controlling weeds on the Mt. Tamalpais watershed. While chemical weed control by application of herbicides is considered an effective and cost-efficient weed management tool, concerns about possible impacts of herbicides on the health of humans and wildlife have arisen. The new report yields critical information that will help MMWD consider appropriate strategies for weed control as part of the district's new vegetation management plan for the watershed.
A release date for the public review draft of the updated vegetation management plan and the commencement of the CEQA review has not yet been scheduled.
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| 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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