Water district must begin desal discussion now

I am writing in regard to a continued reluctance to think long term by leadership of the Marin Municipal Water District.

In the last few months, there have been numerous articles and letters published in the Marin IJ, including mine, raising the issue of desalination as a long term means of addressing the impacts on climate change on Marin’s water supply. Most of the letters I have read favor this as one of the potential solutions to providing clean water to meet the current and future demands of the county. Yet, as enumerated in both letters to the editor and Marin Voice commentaries, as well as the meetings of the MMWD Board of Directors,

most discussion about desalination has been deferred for a variety of reasons, many of them dubious.

What is disappointing, but perhaps not surprising, is that a number of MMWD board members continue to put emphasis on conservation and a pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. This, even though water use has decreased over time, especially when compared to a few years ago. A longer term look at a pipeline begs the question of where that water will come from as climate change affects all of Central California.

I don’t understand why the board doesn’t start a comprehensive engineering study on building a desalination facility so that they and we, the water users in Marin, understand the costs, environmental impacts and everything else. That way a decision can be made with real, current information. Most businesses do this in order to make long term decisions on cost versus benefits of major projects.

It seems to me that if the board is not willing to do this, we need to replace those board members with ones who are.

— Steve Ziman, San Rafael