Corte Madera, CA October 2013

The Inside Source is produced by Marin Municipal Water District to inform local decision makers and opinion leaders on issues affecting Marin's water, people and environment.

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Good News for Salmon

Water Conservation Rebates Available

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

Upcoming Public Meetings

Wed., November 6, 7:30 pm
BOARD MEETING

Board Room

Tues., November 19, 7:30 pm

BOARD MEETING

Board Room

READY FOR RAIN

Alpine Reservoir on October 24 by MMWD Ranger John McConneloug

October began without any rain and apparently the month will end that way, too. Let's hope November brings rainy weather. While our reservoir levels are almost normal for this time of year, at 62 percent of capacity there is plenty of space to capture water.

In response to the record-dry spring of 2013 and to preserve our reservoir levels to the degree possible, we made the following changes to our normal water operations this year:

We carefully balanced the use of imported Russian River water with our reservoir water supply, importing more Russian River water than is typical in the summer months;
We used more water from Nicasio Reservoir in West Marin, allowing us to save more water in our reservoirs on Mt. Tamalpais;
We turned on our recycled water plant earlier in the spring than usual to reduce demand on our potable water supply.

Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels - As of October 27, reservoir storage is 50,366 acre-feet,* or 63 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 51,728 acre-feet, or 65 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.
Rainfall - Rainfall this fiscal year to date (July 1-October 27) is 1.16 inches. Average for the same period is 3.12 inches.
Water Use - Water use for the week ending October 27 averaged 26.5 million gallons per day, compared to 20.5 million gallons per day for the same week last year.
Creek Releases - During the month of September 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.

BOARD MEMBERS' "RATE INCREASE HOLIDAY" GUEST EDITORIAL PUBLISHED RECENTLY

In case you missed it, here's a link to the Marin Independent Journal October 12 guest editorial by MMWD directors Jack Gibson and Cynthia Koehler on the board's unanimous vote to hold rates steady both this year and next. The board formally declared a "Rate Increase Holiday" at the August 6 board meeting.

COHO SALMON FOUND IN WEST MARIN'S WALKER CREEK BY MMWD TEAM

MMWD's fisheries team reports that just this month they have found 137 juvenile coho salmon in Walker Creek, a tributary to Tomales Bay in West Marin. The coho were found in several sections of the creek. MMWD conducts juvenile and spawner surveys in Walker Creek and a few of its tributaries annually to evaluate the status of coho salmon and steelhead trout in the creek.

MMWD Fisheries Biologist Gregory Andrew says these are the first juvenile coho observed in Walker Creek since 2008.

Click here for the complete news release on this good news

MMWD REBATES PROGRAM LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY

MMWD's new rebate program launched successfully on September 1 and the district has been receiving a steady influx of rebate applications ever since. This is the first rebate program since 2009 when the program was suspended due to budget cuts.

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 additional information.

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.

REMINDER: 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 the first Tuesday in November is Election Day, however, that meeting has been 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:

Did you know fallen leaves make great mulch? Simplify your yard work and improve your soil. Find out more here.
Are you wasting 25 percent of the water that runs through your meter? Take advantage of MMWD's Conservation Assistance Program and find out. More
This month's installment in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act is all about the Clapper Rail. Read on.

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