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Corte Madera, CA                                                                                                          May 2012
The Inside Source is produced by Marin Municipal Water District to inform local decisionmakers and opinion leaders on issues affecting Marin's water, people and environment.

Features
Board Approves Fire Flow Fee Extension
Centennial Celebration Moves to the Mountain
Think Blue Marin
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MMWD Board of Directors 
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June Public Meetings
 
Wed., June 6, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
 
Board Room


Wed., June 20, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING 
Board Room

RESERVOIR LEVELS ABOVE AVERAGE AS WE APPROACH SUMMER  

Thanks to the heavy rain that fell in late winter and early spring, MMWD's reservoirs are above average as we head into the irrigation season. Rainfall totals were below average for the year, but not significantly so.

Here are the current water statistics:
  • Reservoir Levels - As of May 23, reservoir levels are 98.1 percent of capacity, or 78,058 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 88.6 percent (70,513 acre-feet). Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.   
  • Rainfall - Rainfall from July 1, 2011 to May 23, 2012 totals 40.34 inches. Average for the same period is 51.74 inches.       
  • Water Use - Water use for the last seven days averaged 28.6 million gallons, nearly 25 percent higher than last year's average of 22.8 million gallons. This year's consumption figure is in the average range for mid-May. Consumption last year was low due to late May rains.   
  • Creek Releases - During the month of April 2012 MMWD released 139 million gallons, or a total of 426 acre-feet, into Lagunitas and Walker creeks in west Marin. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreement with the State of California. We have released more water every month this winter than last to help make up for the lack of rain this year.   

Current water use and reservoir figures can be found on the homepage of our website.

 

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.


  

BOARD APPROVES 19-YEAR EXTENSION OF FIRE FLOW FEE
At a public hearing held on May 17 the MMWD Board of Directors approved an extension of the $75 per parcel annual fire flow fee for an additional 19 years. Members of the Marin County Fire Chiefs Association attended the hearing and voiced their support for the fee extension proposal. The extension begins this year and continues through 2031. The fee is collected on Marin County property tax bills through an agreement between MMWD and the County.

The Fire Flow Fee is dedicated to capital improvement projects that improve the fire-fighting capacity of the district's water system. The fire flow fee funds raised since the program began in 1997 have supported the investment of approximately $70 million for the replacement of more than 60 miles of fire-flow deficient (undersized) pipelines, the installation of 750 hydrants and seismic retrofits of the water treatment plants, critical storage tanks and pump stations.

 The fee extension will raise a total of $64 million, allowing MMWD to replace 12 miles of pipe from the original fire flow program that were not funded due to inflation and also provide funding for an additional 40 miles of fire-flow deficient pipes and other related projects. For more information on the program, click here.    
 
FIRE FLOW PIPELINE PROJECT ON FIFTH AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN SAN RAFAEL THIS SUMMER
This summer MMWD will be replacing an undersized pipe on Fifth Avenue between A and H streets in San Rafael as one of the district's many fire flow projects.

The project is scheduled to begin in mid-June and to be completed in late September. A contract for the project will be awarded by the MMWD Board of Directors at the June 6 board meeting. Soon after the contract award, MMWD will provide more details about the construction schedule, work staging, and traffic and parking impacts to residents and businesses on FIfth Avenue and nearby streets. Typical of pipeline replacement projects, the work has various stages (mainline installation, pressure and quality testing, service transfer, etc). There will occasionally be short breaks between stages with no construction activity. 

At the end of each workday the contractor will leave the road fully accessible with a temporary pavement on the surface. Through traffic will be maintained during construction except for intermittent delays.

Additional information will be posted on MMWD's website when it becomes available.


MMWD'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION MOVES TO THE WATERSHED IN JUNE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
MMWD is hosting its next centennial celebration on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed on Saturday, June 23, in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences. Participants can select from more than two dozen free family-friendly activities scheduled for the day including a special "botany bioblitz" with Academy expert botanists to catalog plants on Mt. Tamalpais. Other activities include nature walks, identifying birds, butterflies and other creatures, and learning more about the source of Marin's drinking water. 

All activities are free, but advance registration is required for some due to limited capacity. A complete schedule along with registration information is available on MMWD's website.

Visit the centennial page our website to read more about MMWD's history and to see upcoming monthly watershed centennial activities.

A centennial book-signing event is set for Thursday, July 26, at Book Passage in Corte Madera to launch the publication of MMWD Director Jack Gibson's historical book titled Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Municipal Water District.


NEW FROM THE BLOG
Check out these recent blog posts:
  • "TRAILgating" party on Mt. Tam on June 2 (click here). 
  • MMWD Customers Enjoy Centennial Open House (click here). 
  • Nature's Delightful Surprise (click here).      

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 colleagues and constituents. Thank you!

Libby Pischel, Public Information Officer
Marin Municipal Water District
[email protected]
(415) 945-1421