TIS bnr green water

 

Corte Madera, CA                                                                                                              July 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
MMWD Goes Green
History Book Event at Book Passage July 26
Smart Irrigation Month
Spread the Word

MMWD Board of Directors 
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August Public Meetings
 
Wed., August 1, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
 
Board Room

 
Wed., August 15, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING 
Board Room  

NEW RAINFALL YEAR BEGAN JULY 1     

Just as our fiscal year begins on July 1, so, too, does our rainfall year. And, surprisingly, we actually had measurable rainfall this month. July typically has zero inches of rain, but this July we had 0.04 inches of rain as measured at Lake Lagunitas.

Here are the current water statistics:
  • Reservoir Levels - As of July 23, reservoir levels are 89 percent of capacity, or 70,497 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 79 percent, or 63,144 acre-feet. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.   
  • Rainfall - Rainfall for the year ending June 30, 2012 was 40.51 inches. Annual average rainfall is 52.65 inches. The new rainfall year is just getting started, with 0.04 inches to date. 
  • Water Use - Water use for the last seven days averaged 31.9 million gallons per day, somewhat higher than last year's average of 30.4 million gallons per day. On a per capita basis, this year's figure is 167.6 gallons and last year's is 160.1 gallons (for the last seven days).    
  • Creek Releases - During the month of June 2012 MMWD released 260 million gallons, or a total of 799 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.  

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

 

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.


  

100 PERCENT OF MMWD FACILITIES USING "LIGHT GREEN" POWER FROM MCE
By month's end MMWD will have enrolled all of its 236 electric accounts in Marin Clean Energy's (MCE) "Light Green" 50-percent renewable electricity option. The district began using energy from MCE in 2010 and has been converting to this more environmentally friendly energy source over time as the option became available in each local jurisdiction in which MMWD has a facility powered by electricity.

By the end of 2011, 203 of MMWD's accounts had been transferred to MCE, but the district had to wait to convert the remaining 33. That's because even though MMWD is a form of local government, it's not a general-purpose government like the county or a city, so MMWD doesn't have the same type of authority. In fact, when it comes to energy, MMWD is a customer just like any other. So the district could only convert its facilities, which are located throughout Marin, to MCE after the county and each town or city officially joined Marin Energy Authority (MEA). MEA is the not-for-profit public agency that administers and oversees the MCE program.

Now that the county and all ten towns and cities in MMWD's service area are members of MEA, MMWD is able to use MCE for all facilities. Most of the energy used by MMWD pumps water, after treatment, from the reservoirs in west Marin to customers in the hilly residential neighborhoods in MMWD's service area, which includes communities along the Highway 101 corridor in east Marin, but also in the Ross and San Geronimo valleys.

Projected rate comparisons based on MMWD's electric accounts estimate that total costs with MCE will match PG&E and in some cases will result in cost savings. PG&E still retains responsibility for transmission and distribution services, as well as meter reading and billing. That means MCE's services comprise about 35 - 40 percent of the district's total energy charges, with the balance of charges coming from PG&E.

NEW HISTORY BOOK ON MMWD AND MT. TAMALPAIS NOW AVAILABLE
With the founding of MMWD in 1912, the citizens of Marin not only created a public water system but also laid the groundwork for the perpetual protection of the 18,500-acre Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Municipal Water District, a new pictorial history book by Director Jack Gibson, documents the district's role in the preservation of this beloved central landmark and the district's work to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality water for Marin.

The book, from Arcadia Publishing, is available in local bookstores, at MMWD or may be ordered online. Proceeds benefit a fund to protect the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed.  

DIrector Gibson, a member of MMWD's board of directors since 1995, is a practicing Marin County attorney as well as an avid historian and a former history teacher. In working on the book, he spent countless hours sifting through photos and documents in MMWD's extensive archives.

To meet the author and hear more about the history of MMWD, mark your calendar for one of two upcoming book-signing events:

JULY IS SMART IRRIGATION MONTH
MMWD is spreading the word that July is Smart Irrigation Month. The idea of focusing on irrigation during the high-water-use month of July was launched in 2005 by the National Irrigation Association with the goal of raising awareness about smart irrigation products--and practices--that can increase the efficiency of irrigation systems.

And efficiency does require both the right products and the right practices. The most efficiently designed and installed irrigation system, if it isn't operated properly, can waste water, actually harm plants that are low water users and certainly will run up a large water bill, especially in July, one of
our hottest months.

So now is a good time to check irrigation systems for proper performance, broken or missing parts and accurate irrigation controller settings. For help with irrigation settings, MMWD offers an online guide, the Weekly Watering Schedule, which uses data collected by CIMIS (California Irrigation Management Information System) to determine plants' watering needs. The schedule works for both the home gardener and the professional landscaper and is based on actual weather conditions in Marin.

NEW FROM THE BLOG
Check out these recent blog posts:

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