Directors share plan for reliable, resilient water supply

The Marin Municipal Water District has grappled with challenges facing many water agencies in the West — climate change impacts with droughts that have severely depleted supplies, aging infrastructure and rising costs due to inflation.

Marin Water, in partnership with its customers, has navigated these challenges and put the district on a track toward reliable water supplies and protection of our watershed. As the incoming and outgoing presidents of the Board of Directors, we think it is important to highlight these efforts as we look to the upcoming year's activities.

Following a strategic assessment of various water management alternatives to increase our resilience to drought and climate change with new water supplies, we adopted the district's “water supply roadmap” in February 2023. This approved roadmap combines demand management and short-term water supply strategies with developing longer-term supply options.

As work on a roadmap for bolstering our water supply was taking shape, the district was also building out a thoughtful, strategic approach to financial management that will enable Marin Water to recover from the revenue strains brought about by the recent drought emergency and inflation, while also augmenting investment into projects that will increase water supply, modernize water system infrastructure and mitigate wildfire impacts on the Mount Tamalpais watershed.

Additionally, the board adopted a two-year budget that supports efforts to address the reliability of our water system and is also strengthening employee engagement to ensure the district can retain and recruit high quality staff to serve the community. That's a win for the district, its employees and for Marin Water customers, who rely on high quality water service.

With these foundational elements in place, and with valuable input from customers, staff and stakeholders, the MMWD Board of Directors has ushered in 2024 by approving the district's strategic plan, charting our work for the next five years.

This plan demonstrates the board's commitment to a resilient water supply, fiscal responsibility and infrastructure investments.

It accelerates work on the Mount Tam watershed and creates a culture of support, as well as appreciation, for our customers and staff.

The district's plan demonstrates not only a commitment to those we serve, but a sense of urgency as well. In the next five years, we will:

• Increase our water supply by strengthening regional partnerships and augmenting existing supplies. Work is well underway to embrace water supply flexibility and efficiencies. The foundation is being laid for investments in both demand management and new supplies that will improve the district's resiliency in the face of climate uncertainty.

• Strengthen the district's critical water infrastructure system to reliably deliver water with a forward-looking approach to wildfire and earthquake risk, as well as energy use and the district's carbon footprint.

Through the district's capital-improvement program, we are prioritizing the most critical projects while embracing transparency with online tools for customers to track our progress.

• Broaden district efforts surrounding our stewardship of watershed lands, including creek restoration, vegetation management, wildfire protection and thoughtful opportunities for expanding recreational activities on the Mount Tam watershed. This work will be coupled with greater efforts to increase the biodiversity and health of our watershed ecosystem.

• Manage our financial infrastructure to be cost-effective, and double our efforts to secure grants to reduce our costs now — and in the future.

• Achieve organizational excellence by fostering a strong workplace culture that thrives on innovation and customer service. Marin Water works tirelessly to not only attract a diverse, talented staff, but also to support growth through strategic training opportunities.

With more than 110 years serving customers in central and southern Marin County, the district is no stranger to adapting to change.

This five-year strategic plan, together with previous board action, represents a comprehensive approach to overcoming the modern challenges our district faces.

With these plans in place, and a collaborative, community-serving approach in hand, we know that we are on track to a more resilient water future.

Ranjiv Khush is president of the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors. Director Monty Schmitt is the immediate past president of the board. Read more about the five-year strategic plan at bit.ly/4aOz0eT.