| MMWD Board of Directors |
Cynthia Koehler
President
Larry Russell
Vice President
David Behar
Jack Gibson
Armando Quintero Regular meetings of the MMWD Board of Directors are held at 7:30 pm the first and third Wednesday of each month in the District Board Room, 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera. Additional meetings are scheduled as needed. All board meetings are open to the public. (415) 945-1450
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Upcoming Public Meetings
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Thurs., September 20, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
Wed., October 3, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
Wed., October 17, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
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RESERVOIRS ABOVE AVERAGE HEADING INTO FALL
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Reservoir levels continue to be well above average as we officially head into fall this Saturday. While day time temperatures can still be on the warm side, the longer, cooler nights mean water consumption will begin to drop below summer's peak levels. Here are the current water statistics:
- Reservoir Levels - As of September 17, reservoir levels are 80 percent of capacity, or 63,596 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 70 percent, or 55,786 acre-feet. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.
- Rainfall - A new rainfall year began July 1, 2012. Year-to-date rainfall (as of September 17) is 0.06 inches, below the average of 0.44 inches.
- Water Use - Water use for the seven-day period ending September 17 averaged 30.6 million gallons per day, somewhat higher than last year's average of 29.3 million gallons per day for the same time period.
- Creek Releases - During the month of August 2012 MMWD released 284 million gallons, or a total of 873 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.
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DEIR SCOPING PERIOD COMING UP THIS FALL FOR DRAFT 2012 VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
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MMWD plans to announce soon the fall dates for the scoping period for a draft environmental impact report (Draft EIR) for the district's Draft 2012 Vegetation Management Plan for Watershed Lands (Draft 2012 VMP).
The MMWD Board of Directors issued a contract in August to consulting firm Panorama Environmental to conduct the environmental review process for this project. The district also released the draft plan for review in August to give the community ample time to read it. In addition, the district held an informational meeting on the Draft 2012 VMP earlier in September.
The Draft 2012 VMP outlines the district's goals for managing its 22,000 acres of watershed land and describes actions to achieve those goals. The main goals are:
- To protect Marin's communities, water supply and natural resources from catastrophic wildfire;
- To preserve habitats, plants and animals into the future; and
- To prepare for and adapt to future changes.
The plan also assesses the likely cost and effectiveness of the various actions identified to achieve the district's goals.
The Draft EIR will include:
- An assessment of the potential impacts caused by doing nothing and implementing alternative approaches;
- Analyses of impacts to water and air quality, plants and animals, human health, traffic, noise, scenic beauty and many other factors that contribute to our quality of life in Marin County; and
- The identification of which approach best protects our water supply, Mt. Tamalpais and our communities.
Only after completion of the environmental review process will the MMWD Board of Directors formally consider review and adoption of the Draft 2012 VMP. The new plan was developed to replace the district's original VMP, which dates back to 1995. Click here to read the Draft 2012 VMP.
MMWD will announce the scoping period dates as soon as they are confirmed.
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MMWD BOARD TO CONSIDER JOINING CONSORTIUM AGAINST INVASIVE MUSSELS IN LOCAL WATERS
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The MMWD Board of Directors is scheduled to consider joining the North Coast Zebra/Quagga Mussel Consortium at the September 20 board meeting. The district's Watershed Committee unanimously supported the concept of MMWD becoming a consortium member. Current consortium members include Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Humboldt County, the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) and the Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District.
The purpose of the consortium is to minimize the risk of infestation by these invasive mussels in North Bay water bodies. These non-native species have the potential to compromise water delivery and water-based utilities and can permanently alter the composition and functioning of freshwater ecosystems.
The consortium is working to inform the public about the dangers of these mussel species and to enlist the public's help in preventing their spread in California. More information is available from consortium leader SCWA (click here).
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FIRE ROAD IN BALTIMORE CANYON OPEN SPACE STILL CLOSED FOR SLIDE REPAIR WORK
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MMWD has closed a portion of Southern Marin Line Fire Road in the Baltimore Canyon Open Space Preserve near Crown Road in Kentfield for slide repair work. (Click here for a map.) For public safety, the fire road is closed at the work site weekdays 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Every effort is being made to open the construction zone for hikers, bikers and equestrians after work hours and on weekends. The fire road closure also will impact access to and from the entrance on Crown Road to Hoo-Koo-e-Koo Trail, Dawn Falls Trail and H-Line Fire Road.
The work involves construction of a 168-foot-long retaining wall to repair a slide on Southern Marin Line Fire Road triggered by late spring rains. Southern Marin Line Fire Road is the location of a 24-inch transmission pipeline (the Southern Marin Line) that serves as the main supply of potable water from the Bon Tempe Treatment Plant to southern Marin. The road needs to be stabilized before the next rainy season to prevent additional earth movement that could undermine support for the pipeline, potentially leading to pipe failure.
Although the road is located on Marin County Open Space land, MMWD owns an easement to maintain the pipeline. The slide repair will restore the roadway to its original width. The road is scheduled to reopen at the end of October.
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| CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY WITH MMWD AND REI ON SEPTEMBER 29 ON MT. TAM |
MMWD and REI invite the public to celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD) on Saturday, September 29, 9 am - noon by volunteering on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. Volunteers will help remove Douglas-fir trees to help restore oak woodland and native grassland habitat.
In honor of NPLD, the district will offer volunteers free printed guides to Marin County's public lands. The guide includes suggested activities and a map of the 143,000 acres of public lands managed by MMWD, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Tomales Bay State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore and Marin County Parks. REI will also donate raffle prizes.
For more information about this event, contact MMWD's Volunteer Program at (415) 945-1128 or e-mail (volunteerprogram@marinwater.org).
National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and NPLD became a yearly tradition, typically held on the last Saturday in September. In 2011, more than 170,000 volunteers worked at 2,067 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories. Eight federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and state, regional and local governments participate in the annual day of caring for public lands.
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HEAR MMWD SPEAKERS AT UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE ROSS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
| | MMWD Chief Ranger Bill Hogan will share the floor with Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC) President Larry Minikes at the September 21 annual meeting of the Ross Historical Society (RHS) at the Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross. In different ways, both MMWD and the TCC have made it their mission to protect and to preserve Mt. Tamalpais. Both organizations are celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year.
On October 5 author and MMWD Director Jack Gibson and MMWD Park Ranger Matt Cerkel will present an illustrated talk on the history of MMWD and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. Founded in 1912, MMWD is the oldest municipal water district in California and has managed most of Mount Tamalpais since 1917. Copies of Gibson's history book, Moumt Tamalpais and the Marin Municipal Water District, will be available for purchase. The proceeds benefit a fund to protect the watershed.
Both programs begin at 11:00 am and last approximately one hour. To attend, a donation at the door of $5.00 per person is requested. The Marin Art & Garden Center is located at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. Contact RHS by phone at (415) 258-9595 or email (moya.rhs@gmail.com) for information and reservations.
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SPECIAL SCREENING OF 1914 SILENT MOVIE FILMED AT LAKE LAGUNITAS
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The Marin County Free Library is sponsoring a special screening of the 1914 silent film Salomy Jane on Sunday, Sept. 30, 7:00 - 9:30 pm, at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. The film is based on a Bret Harte story and is the first production of the California Motion Picture Corporation, whose studios were located in San Rafael. Parts of the movie were filmed at Lake Lagunitas on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed.
The screening includes an introductory talk by film historian David Kiehn and librarian Laurie Thompson. Piano accompaniment by Bruce Loeb.
Admission is $15 and advance tickets may be purchased online. Proceeds benefit the California Film Institute, the Anne T. Kent California Room and the Marin History Museum. Click here for more information.
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| NEW FROM THE BLOG | Check out this recent post from MMWD's blog, Think Blue Marin:
- Survival depends on what's beneath the surface (click here).
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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 colleagues and constituents. Thank you!
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