Sonoma water partnership key for Marin
When it comes to water supply, Marin and Sonoma counties are joined at the hip.
That political realization has led, in recent years, to North Bay water agencies working more closely together when it comes to supplying and conserving water.
That collaboration cannot be more important than it is today when the two counties are grappling with a drought and, until recent rains, a perilously reduced supply.
Even with recent rains, water agency leaders aren’t taking the brakes off strict conservation measures and goals.
Meanwhile, they are working on ways to expand sources and their storage capacity.
That’s why the Marin Municipal Water District is working on a multimillion dollar investment to build a new pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to import water for Sacramento Valley sources.
It’s also why MMWD and North Marin Water District are considering investing in reactivating and upgrading wells in Sonoma County to provide additional storage capacity.
Given dire predictions of a deepening drought, it’s obvious that while local conservation is important in preserving local water supplies, it is not enough. MMWD’s recent scramble for additional sources is a prime example that its long-term watersupply strategy still fell short when it came to fulfilling its mission of meeting the water needs of local residents and businesses.
The wells are expected to produce about 6 million gallons per day. For local water agencies, upgrading the wells will preserve its draw from the Sonoma County Water Agency from being curtailed by state orders aimed at protecting the flow of water on Russian River.
Because of the regional importance of improving these wells, they should be considered prime candidates for state and federal funding.
MMWD is also working with the Sonoma County Water Agency to pump water directly into MMWD’s supply rather than to the district’s reservoirs. At the same time, MMWD is also planning to reactivate the Kastania Pump Station near the Marin-Sonoma border in order to maximize its contractual draw from Sonoma and reduce limitations created by the gravity system now relied on for the bi-county pipeline.
That work could be completed by January.
The pump station and the wells are examples of water agencies in the two counties working together to meet the needs of residents, businesses and institutions on both sides of the county line.
In many cases, they are not only serving the same communities, but share a responsibility in protecting the region’s environment.
Water and politics have long had a place in California. All too often, those politics have been focused on local self interests, singular goals of controlling water sources and cashing in on those supplies.
Recent years’ work in building a stronger North Bay regional outlook and awareness is paying off. Local political leaders’ and agency staffs’ willingness to work together on drought-generated solutions is encouraging and a sign of a collaborative focus on finding ways of helping meet the needs of communities, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.