MMWD's Engineering Division is gearing up for a major pipeline replacement project this summer that will cross Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at Redhill Avenue in San Anselmo, an intersection known as "the Hub."

MMWD will be replacing two water mains on Sir Francis Drake and one on Red Hill. The pipelines being replaced are among the oldest still in use. The Red Hill Avenue pipe was installed in 1883 when Chester Arthur was the U.S. president and 29 years before MMWD was even founded. That pipe was installed by MMWD predecessor Marin Water and Power Company. One section of the Sir Francis Drake water main being replaced dates back to 1923 while another section dates back to 1930.

MMWD is working closely with staff from the Town of San Anselmo to determine the project schedule and timing to minimize traffic impacts. MMWD will also conduct extensive outreach directly to residents in San Anselmo, Fairfax, San Rafael and other communities. Additional information about the project is available here.

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MMWD's San Geronimo Treatment Plant will be the site of a county-organized emergency response training exercise on Friday, April 19. Agencies participating in the hazardous materials response exercise include Marin County Urban Search and Rescue, Marin County Fire Department, Marin County Department of Public Works, Marin County Hazardous Materials Response Team and MMWD.

The training exercise will begin with local first responders and transition into an extended event; it will include staging and mobilization of emergency personnel and equipment. The exercise provides an opportunity for emergency responders to practice their skills in a realistic environment so they are well prepared for emergency incidents.   

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MMWD Director Cynthia Koehler was recently honored with the Bay Heroes Award from The Bay Institute. The Bay Heroes Award was created in 2011 to honor individuals whose efforts have led to increased protection of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

Koehler has been a member of MMWD's publicly elected board of directors since January 2005. She was chosen for the Bay Heroes Award for her years of service as the California water legislative director for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Koehler served as a chief negotiator for the historic 2009 Bay Delta Water Reform Act and led the State Water Resources Control Board's 2010 decision, for the first time, to establish public trust flow criteria for the San Francisco Bay Delta-Estuary. She is now the director of programs for Carpe Diem West, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of healthy headwaters throughout the Western United States. Read more here.     

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Three special public events MMWD is hosting this spring remind us of the magnificence of the natural world right here in Marin. The events include:

• April 20: Earth Day on the Watershed. Celebrate Earth Day on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed! Join us on Saturday, April 20 for a guided hike and trail crew volunteer event near Little Carson Falls. Help with trail maintenance and learn about the habitat of the local foothill yellow-legged frogs, a species of special concern. Learn more.     
• May 4: Citizen Science Day. This family-friendly "Sprouting Scientist" Day at Lake Lagunitas on Saturday, May 4 is presented in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences. Families and individuals with an interest in learning about Mt. Tamalpais and its plants and animals are welcome. Citizen science is the study of nature by the people who live in it, which is everyone! Learn more.  
• May 18: Marin-Friendly Garden Tour. This free, self-guided tour on Saturday, May 18 showcases nine Marin gardens designed to conserve our precious water resources and to protect our local environment. Register now to receive the garden guide. 

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