In a new fire risk report released by the Marin County Civil Grand Jury, the grand jury concluded the risk of wildfire on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed is significant and that MMWD has done a thorough job laying out two alternate approaches to dealing with that risk.

While the grand jury has strongly endorsed the approach that allows for limited herbicide use, MMWD is currently going through the environmental review process for the district's Wildfire Protection and Habitat Improvement Plan (WPHIP), which was developed to address fire hazard reduction and biodiversity protection on the 22,000 acres of watershed land managed by MMWD. Drinking water protection is the number one priority of the plan. The WPHIP includes two approaches to weed control: both contain a range of integrated weed control measures; one contains limited use of carefully selected herbicides and the other does not.

A draft environmental impact report on the WPHIP will be released this fall for public review and comment.  

The WPHIP is available on MMWD's website (click here). The Grand Jury report is available on the County of Marin's website (click here).  

The MMWD Board of Directors recently adopted a new, comprehensive ethics policy to guide
articulate how the board conducts business on behalf of district ratepayers. Board members already comply with ethics standards set by the State of California for all elected officials, but they chose to adopt a district policy as well to underscore their commitment to general ethical principles and the underlying basic values of trustworthiness, respect, fairness and responsibility.

The new MMWD policy addresses issues related to the board's conduct in several different business areas, including the open meeting laws established by the Ralph M. Brown Act, constitutional protections related to employment matters, the board's financial and fiduciary responsibilities, the avoidance of conflicts of interest and incompatibility of offices, the prohibition of direct political solicitation of district employees, compensation and even the appearance of impropriety.

Click here to read the policy.

Whether you are a long-time gardener or a novice, you'll find inspiration and beauty in MMWD's free, Marin-friendly garden tour on Saturday, May 18. This self-guided tour showcases Marin gardens designed to protect our local environment. It goes without saying (but we'll say it anyway) that these gardens conserve water. They also include a variety of other special features, such as native plant selections, edibles, rainwater catchment, wildlife habitat creation, the use of recycled materials and composting systems.

Admission is free, but advance registration is required to obtain the map and the garden guide, which provides details on each garden and gardening tips.

Click here for more information.