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Corte Madera, CA                                                                                                             July 2013
The Inside Source is produced by Marin Municipal Water District to inform local decisionmakers and opinion leaders on issues affecting Marin's water, people and environment.
Features
20 Gallon Challenge
Water Quality Report
Spread the Word

MMWD Board of Directors 

Larry Russell
President

Armando Quintero
Vice President 

Liza Crosse
Jack Gibson
Cynthia Koehler

Regular meetings of the MMWD Board of Directors are held at 7:30 pm the first and third Tuesday 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) 945-1455

Krishna Kumar
General Manager


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Upcoming Public Meetings
 
Tues., August 6, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING 
Board Room 

Tues., August 20, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING 
Board Room  
MMWD BEGAN NEW RAINFALL YEAR JULY 1

MMWD's rainfall data is collected on a July 1-June 30 basis, rather than according to the calendar year. Not surprisingly for mid-summer, rainfall year to date is zero inches.  

 

We continue to operate the water system to optimize our supply in response to this year's dry spring. We are carefully balancing the use of imported Russian River water with our reservoir water supply to preserve our reservoir supplies to the degree possible. We also are using more water from Nicasio Reservoir in West Marin, allowing us to save more water in our reservoirs on Mt. Tamalpais.


Here are the current water statistics:

  • Reservoir Levels - As of July 14, reservoir storage is 62,182 acre-feet,* or 78 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 64,256 acre-feet, or 81 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.  
  • Rainfall - No rainfall this year to date (July 1-July 14, 2013).
  • Water Use - Water use for the week ending July 14 averaged 31.8 million gallons per day, compared to 32.5 million gallons per day for the same week last year.     
  • Creek Releases - During the month of June 2013 MMWD released 297 million gallons, or a total of 912 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 agreements 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.
MMWD BOARD PASSES RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE NORTH BAY'S "20 GALLON CHALLENGE"
At the July 2 board meeting MMWD's Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution in support of the "20 Gallon Challenge," a public awareness campaign developed to reduce water demand this summer. The 20 Gallon Challenge is a program of the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership, which includes all nine North Bay cities and water districts that purchase Russian River water from the Sonoma County Water Agency. The new conservation program was launched in response to this year's dry spring.

The 20 Gallon Challenge is a call to action to all Russian River water users to reduce their water use this summer by 20 gallons per person, per day. The outreach effort demonstrates what 20 gallons is and provides water-saving tips.

A Challenge web page includes the tips along with a pledge that all North Bay water users can take. By completing the online pledge form, users select the steps they plan to take and are shown how much water each step saves. Pledge participants are eligible for monthly prize drawings for water-saving clothes washers and professional landscaping services.
NEW ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT AVAILABLE
We have released our 2013 Annual Water Quality Report, which shows, once again, that the water provided by MMWD meets, and in fact surpasses, all state and federal health regulations. The 2013 report is available in English and Spanish on our website. Printed copies of the report can be requested by calling the Water Quality Lab at (415) 945-1550.

 

MMWD takes numerous steps to ensure that the drinking water we deliver to customers is of high quality, from managing and protecting our watershed lands, to employing proven treatment methods, to vigilant monitoring. Each year MMWD conducts more than 120,000 water quality tests from watershed to faucet.  

 

We report water quality information to our customers annually as a matter of district policy and in compliance with regulations set by the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The regulations encompass both primary standards, which affect health, and secondary standards, which affect the odor, taste and appearance of the water.

 

In the past, we mailed the full water quality report to approximately 110,000 Marin addresses. Beginning this year, new regulations permit MMWD to distribute the report electronically, reducing our costs and our impact on the environment.

NEW BLOG POSTS
Check out these recent posts from MMWD's blog, Think Blue Marin:
  •  Fire season is here. Do you have defensible space around your home? Get acquainted with the basics here and go to CAL Fire's "Get Ready" page for more information. 
  • The latest blog post to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act is all about Northern Spotted Owls. Learn more here. 
  • This year's family citizen science day at Lake Lagunitas was a huge success. Thanks to the California Academy of Sciences for partnering with MMWD to make this day happen. Read more here.   
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!
Libby Pischel, Public Information Officer
Marin Municipal Water District
lpischel@marinwater.org
(415) 945-1421