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Opinion: We Must Approach Recycled Water Solution With Open Mind

In Marin County, we have limited options when we face the next, inevitable drought. Recycled water, the reuse of purified wastewater, is one of the most viable options and belongs in the water supply of every urban area of coastal California.

Marin Municipal Water District Adopts Budget To Bolster Water Supply

The Marin Municipal Water District has approved a $305.9 million, two-year budget that will begin to make significant investments in new water supplies not seen by the agency in decades. “We have a very big job ahead of us with this budget,” Monty Schmitt, the president of the district’s elected board, said before it voted unanimously to adopt the budget on Tuesday.

Marin Municipal Water District Adopts Historic Rate Hikes for Water Supply Projects

A majority of Marin residents’ water bills will see significant increases beginning in July as the Marin Municipal Water District looks to make historic investments in new water supplies and recover from the recent drought.

The agency’s board of directors voted 4-1, with Director Larry Russell dissenting, on Tuesday to approve a plan to hike water rates and fees for the next four years.

Marin Water Supplier Makes Some Drought Rules Permanent

Some water use restrictions that were imposed on most Marin County residents during the drought last year are now set to become permanent.

The Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to continue limiting sprinkler use to two days per week, which is down from three days it allowed before it adopted its drought restrictions in 2021. Drip irrigation will be allowed three days a week. All pool owners in the district must also have a pool cover.

Marin Municipal Water District Lifts Sprinkler Ban

Most Marin County residents will once again be allowed to turn on their sprinklers following a nearly three-month ban.

The Marin Municipal Water District board voted unanimously on Tuesday to allow the district’s 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin to use outdoor sprinklers and drip irrigation two days per week. Outdoor irrigation using potable water supplies had been banned since Dec. 1 in response to the drought.

Opinion: Water District Must Expand Supply by Reconsidering Desalination Plan

What exactly is being done to solve Marin County’s drought crisis, which is now entering its fourth year? The simple answer is: Not Enough.

Don’t be fooled by the spate of blessed and brief rains. More severe droughts are practically guaranteed and this one is not yet finished despite rising reservoir levels.

Let’s focus on the bottom-line questions: What can be done to make Marin drought-proof and how much will that cost?

Marin Water Agencies Explore New Sources of Supply

After facing critical water shortages last year, Marin County’s two largest water agencies are exploring new supply options.

Connecting to other water agencies, desalination, capturing more rainwater and raising existing dams are among the options being explored by Marin Municipal Water District, which serves 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin, and the North Marin Water District, which serves about 62,000 residents in Novato and West Marin.

Busting Water Limits Won’t Cost You in Marin County: Penalties Canceled as Rain Fills Reservoirs

After recent reservoir-boosting rainfall, Marin County’s largest water district decided Tuesday to repeal recently established financial penalties for excessive water use.

In September, the Marin Municipal Water District board adopted an ordinance that established financial penalties for exceeding certain water use limits it set in April as drought conditions worsened across the Bay Area and California.

In the September ordinance, the district set penalties for going over “tier 1” water usage, which, for single family households, is 65 gallons of water per person, per day. Penalties would range from $5 to $15, depending on how much customers went over that limit.

Storms Restore Marin Reservoirs to Above-Average Levels

In a stunning turnaround, Marin County water supplies that were once at risk of going dry next year have refilled to above-average levels following a series of unusually early downpours.

Marin water officials are reevaluating some drought restrictions and penalties that were adopted earlier this year, especially with more rain in the forecast this week.

Opinion: Feds Should Focus on Natural Solutions in Flood Preparation

Our country faces a flood crisis. More people and places are at risk, with climate-induced flooding threatening widespread social, environmental and economic impacts.

We need a holistic approach to reduce flood risk now. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has focused on building levees, spillways and hardened infrastructure to address episodic storm events. But, by focusing solely on storm surge, they leave millions exposed to chronic flooding from sea level rise, tides and extreme rainfall.

Our country faces a flood crisis. More people and places are at risk, with climate-induced flooding threatening widespread social, environmental and economic impacts.

We need a holistic approach to reduce flood risk now. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has focused on building levees, spillways and hardened infrastructure to address episodic storm events. But, by focusing solely on storm surge, they leave millions exposed to chronic flooding from sea level rise, tides and extreme rainfall.