TISbnr_redwoods_oaks
Corte Madera, CA                                                                                                    September 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
Board Tackles Rate Restructuring
No Meeting on Election Day
Current Blog Posts
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


Join Our Mailing List!
Upcoming Public Meetings
 
Tues., October 1, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING 
Board Room 

Tues., October 15, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING 
Board Room  
FALL PREFACED BY RARE SEPTEMBER RAIN
More than an inch of rain fell on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed on September 21, just one day before the official start of fall. That single day of heavy rain brought this year's total rainfall to 1.08 inches, which is above average. Let's hope it's the start of a trend, although typically we don't receive significant rainfall until November.

 

Here are the current water statistics:

  • Reservoir Levels - As of September 22, reservoir storage is 54,088 acre-feet,* or 68 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 55,036 acre-feet, or 69 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.  
  • Rainfall - Rainfall this fiscal year to mid-September (July 1-September 22, 2013) is 1.08 inches. Average for the same period is 0.54 inches.
  • Water Use - Water use for the week ending September 22 averaged 29.3 million gallons per day, compared to 29.7 million gallons per day for the same week last year.     
  • Creek Releases - During the month of August 2013 MMWD released 266 million gallons, or a total of 817 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.
Water use and reservoir figures can be found on the homepage of our website.

 

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

REBATES NOW AVAILABLE FROM MMWD
As of September 1 MMWD is offering the following rebates:
  • Up to $100 for the purchase of a high-efficiency toilet (1.28 gallons per flush), limit two per household; 
  • Up to $50 for the purchase of a high-efficiency clothes washer;
  • Up to $20 per active residential valve station for the purchase of a smart irrigation controller and up to $30 per active commercial valve station.
Click here for an application and additional information. The smart irrigation controller rebate program requires an initial site visit by a district conservation specialist to confirm eligibility.

Click here for a humorous 60-second video promoting the rebate program. MMWD would like to thank the students of Ex'pression College in Emeryville for creating the video.  

Rebate funding comes from the Marin Municipal Water District and the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, administered by State of California, Department of Water Resources. 
BOARD CONTINUES TO STUDY RATE RESTRUCTURE OPTIONS
The MMWD Board of Directors continues to evaluate rate restructure options to replace the current rate structure, which has been in place since 2003. The goal is to ensure a fair and equitable rate structure for all customers while raising sufficient revenues to meet the district's costs.

The rate restructure effort follows a decision made in August to forgo any rate increase this year or next by declaring a "Rate Increase Holiday." The rate increase holiday is possible due to improved financial conditions resulting from years of stringent budget control and increased water revenue leading to improvements in both operating reserves and cash flow. The Marin Independent-Journal wrote this editorial in support of the district's actions.
FIRST MMWD BOARD MEETING IN NOVEMBER MOVED FROM TUESDAY TO WEDNESDAY
The regular meeting dates for the MMWD Board of Directors are the first and third Tuesday of each month. Because November 5, the first Tuesday in November, is Election Day, however, that meeting is being moved to the following day, Wednesday, November 6. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. as usual and will be held in the MMWD Board Room, 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera.

The MMWD 2013 board meeting calendar is available here.
NEW BLOG POSTS
Check out these recent posts from MMWD's blog, Think Blue Marin:
  • Thanks are due to this volunteer litter patrolman for helping to care for our watershed. More. 
  • Now's the perfect time to set up barrels to collect rainwater for watering your garden. Read on to figure out how much water your garden will need (depending on size and plant materials).    
  • Do you know what bird species can fly 200 miles per hour? Yes, that's right, 200 mph. Find out 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