| MMWD Board of Directors |
Cynthia Koehler
President
Larry Russell
Vice President
Liza Crosse
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 unless otherwise noted 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
Krishna Kumar
General Manager
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Upcoming Public Meetings
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Wed., January 9, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
Board Room
Wed., January 23, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING
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NEAR-RECORD RESERVOIR LEVELS DUE TO HEAVY RAINS
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This year's early, heavy rains have produced substantial runoff, bringing MMWD reservoirs to 93 percent of capacity. Six of the seven reservoirs are now full. With more rain in the forecast, Kent Lake, our largest reservoir, may fill in 2012 or early 2013. More typically, the reservoirs reach their highest levels in late March. Here are the current water statistics:
- Reservoir Levels - As of December 16, reservoir storage is 93 percent of capacity, or 74,167 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 69 percent, or 54,513 acre-feet. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.
- Water Use - Water use for the week ending December 16 averaged 15.8 million gallons per day, somewhat lower than last year's average of 18.3 million gallons per day. Last December was unusually dry.
- Creek Releases - During the month of November 2012 MMWD more than 300 million gallons, or a total of nearly 1,000 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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LIZA CROSSE JOINS MMWD BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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The last MMWD board meeting of 2012 marked the first board meeting for newly appointed Director Liza Crosse. Director Crosse took the oath of office at the start of the December 19th meeting and immediately got to work, joining her colleagues in conducting district business on behalf of their constituents. The board sets the policies for the activities and affairs of MMWD. Crosse, an administrative aide to Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey, will represent the 37,000 residents in MMWD's Division III, which encompasses communities in the Ross Valley as well as the San Geronimo Valley. Earlier this month Crosse was unanimously selected from a field of 14 candidates by MMWD's four seated board members to fill the vacancy resulting from the resignation of David Behar, who moved outside the boundaries of Division III. In her application for the post Crosse explained her inspiration, stating, "Public service is my vocation and service on this board will enable me to work and contribute in my greatest area of interest: water resources." Crosse will fill the last two years of a four-year term and already plans to run for re-election when the current term expires in 2014.
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MMWD WELCOMES NEW GENERAL MANAGER KRISHNA KUMAR
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On December 19th the MMWD Board of Directors also welcomed General Manager Krishna Kumar to his first board meeting in his role as the district's new chief executive officer. Kumar joined MMWD as general manager on December 10. He was chosen unanimously by the board from a large field of extraordinary candidates from across the western states. MMWD Board President Cynthia Koehler expressed the Board's unanimous support for Kumar saying, "Krishna is an excellent fit for MMWD at this important time in our history. We are delighted to have him join MMWD as our general manager." Kumar said, "I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to join MMWD as the general manager. MMWD is the oldest municipal water district in the state of California, having celebrated its centennial earlier this year. My goal is to build on MMWD's rich history. I am committed to maintaining MMWD's reputation for providing high-quality drinking water and for its dedication to environmental stewardship." Kumar had been the general manager of Valley of the Moon Water District in the Sonoma County community of El Verano and was a division manager for several years in finance at the Sonoma County Water Agency. Previously he also worked for Sonoma County. Before moving to the United States in 1992, Kumar served as a senior manager at the Reserve Bank of India. He has MBA and BS degrees from universities in India.
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WPHIP EIR SCOPING PERIOD CLOSED; DRAFT EIR NEXT STEP IN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS
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The scoping period for the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for MMWD' s Draft Wildfire Protection and Habitat Improvement Plan (WPHIP) closed on December 3. MMWD received numerous comments via email, regular mail and at a scoping meeting. The comments will be used to help frame the environmental topics to be addressed in the EIR as well as the cumulative impacts and alternatives analyses.
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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SALMON SPAWNING NUMBERS ON THE UPSWING FOR 2012-13 SEASON
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MMWD's fisheries management team reports that the significant rain in November and December has brought spawning coho salmon, a federally endangered species, into Lagunitas and San Geronimo creeks, with the highest level of spawning activity observed by mid-December in six years, including 160 coho salmon and 80 new redds (spawning nests). Coho have been seen spawning throughout the portions of the Lagunitas Creek watershed that are accessible to these anadromous fish (fish that migrate up rivers from the sea to spawn). The number of coho counted so far is on track to be near the average of counts conducted over the past 17 years. The final count for coho spawning will probably be tallied around mid-February. Even an average run would represent a significant rebound of the coho population from the extraordinarily low numbers observed between 2007 and 2010. Similar and even more dramatic declines in coho numbers were simultaneously documented throughout California and into Oregon. That recent and dramatic period of decline has been largely attributed to ocean conditions and not to any particular activities unique to the Lagunitas Creek watershed. More information about MMWD's Lagunitas Creek Fisheries Program can be found online. Lagunitas Creek, which originates on MMWD watershed land on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais, is considered the home of one of the healthiest salmon populations in Central California.
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| NEW FROM THE BLOG | Check out these recent posts from MMWD's blog, Think Blue Marin:
- More details on this year's salmon spawning run from MMWD's aquatic ecologist ( click here).
- A gift of scent from the winter garden (click here).
- An emergency water supply is always in season ( 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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