MMWD received public comments at the November 15 environmental impact report (EIR) scoping meeting on the district's Draft Wildfire Protection and Habitat Improvement Plan (WPHIP). MMWD will use the comments to help frame the environmental topics to be addressed in the EIR as well as the cumulative impacts and alternatives.

The 30-day scoping period began November 1 and ends December 3. Comments may be submitted via email: wphipeir@marinwater.org.
 
The Draft WPHIP addresses fire hazard reduction and biodiversity protection on the 22,000 acres of watershed land managed by MMWD with drinking water protection as the number one priority. The main goals of the Draft WPHIP, which will replace MMWD's 1995 Vegetation Management Plan, are:

• To protect Marin's communities, water supply and natural resources from catastrophic wildfire;
• To preserve habitats, plants and animals into the future; 
• To prepare for and adapt to future changes.  

More information on the draft WPHIP is available on MMWD's website.

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MMWD received 14 applications for the board seat vacated by Director David Behar, who resigned November 10 because he moved outside the boundaries of MMWD Division III.

MMWD's 147-mile-square-mile service area is divided into five divisions with approximately 37,000 residents in each. The five-member board includes one representative from each division. Division III encompasses the San Geronimo Valley, Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, Kentfield and sections of Greenbrae and Larkspur.

The Board of Directors has up to 60 days, or until January 9, 2013, to appoint a new director for the remainder of the current Division III term, which is through December 2014. The board will interview candidates in December. Once the meeting schedule has been finalized, it will be posted publicly.

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MMWD operations shift with the seasons and late fall brings the following changes: 

• MMWD's recycled water treatment plant, located on the grounds of the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District in north San Rafael, has been turned off for the winter now that the irrigation season is over.
• The spawning season for coho salmon and steelhead trout is just starting. To ensure the adult fish are able to swim upstream in Lagunitas Creek and spawn, which entails lay their eggs in streambed gravel nests called redds, MMWD is releasing more water into the creek. District fisheries staff are also starting their seasonal spawner survey work to track trends in the coho and steelhead populations. 
• Facilities and maintenance staff, as primary emergency responders, are reviewing district emergency plans and preparing for winter storms. Potential storm-related problems for MMWD include power outages that affect our ability to pump water around the system and slides on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed or even within the district's service area. We are making sure we are prepared for whatever comes our way.    

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