Marin Voice: Don’t let memory of recent drought emergency fade

Two years of life-affirming, transformational rains have filled the reservoirs. No more unflushed toilets sacrificed to the cause of conservation. The lush green hills of the last few months are turning a dignified brown. We’ve got so much water, any memory of dried, cracked lawns are buried in the past.

It’s not a very distant past. Even in normal years, the seven reservoirs from which we get 75% of our water barely holds a two-year supply. But in 2021, they were shriveling up. That year, a surprise atmospheric river event in October kept the wolf from the door. It wasn’t the first time.

Since 1976, Marin has had 24 years of drought. Drought has accelerated in this century, with 17 out of the last 24 years in drought. Drought may have taken some time off the last couple of years, but it will come back. It always does.

Lack of rain isn’t the only looming problem for the Marin Municipal Water District. Storage capacity and access are also weaknesses in the system. Years of reluctance to build water supply resiliency compounded by a blind devotion to conservation and severe water use restrictions exacerbated the problems. Moreover, the 25% of our water we buy from Sonoma that runs through the newly upgraded Kastania Pump could be at risk if Sonoma’s water runs low. Sonoma Water will surely prioritize its own growing communities.

It’s not just the cost of imported water that’s concerning. Miles of rusted, leaking water mains need to be replaced. Material and labor costs are up. The ecological health of the watershed needs protection to maintain its biodiversity, water quality and yield. All could be too easily lost with the toss of a burning cigarette. Even contemplating how a major fire could turn our pristine reservoirs into turbid pools makes my stomach turn. Wildfire risk mitigation is imperative. All of the above costs money.

By 2022, MMWD’s operating costs were higher than ever and the financial reserves were at drought levels. It faced a $31 million deficit. In other parts of California, water managers suggested rate increases be tied to the consumer price index. The Contra Costa Water District pioneered this concept in the 1980s and it is among the most fiscally sound in California.

MMWD did not follow this lead. For nearly 30 years prior to last year, it increased rates in spurts – if at all – or added new fees. We all know now how this tactic can lead to sharp and painful increases to make up for cost-of-living and other shortfalls. It leaves limited alternate sources of financial replenishment for necessary reserves.

Perhaps foremost in the minds of some MMWD directors at the time was the thought that voters don’t like rate increases. Two former members of the board who served a combined 43 years moved on in 2022.

That year, three new directors came aboard. The new directors’ eyes were open to the problems they faced, but they were also willing to look at fresh and innovative solutions to solve them.

While still respecting the importance of conservation, they were eager to explore other options that could make Marin’s water supply more resilient including increased storage, advanced technologies in recycled water and more environmentally sound desalination. They knew substantial upgrades to our water infrastructure would enable us to weather the inevitable cycles of droughts and storms in the coming decades. Realistically, they knew none of this can happen without raising rates. As expected, rates increased again this month.

Up until 2022, MMWD failed to deliver a viable solution for water supply resiliency or prevent a fiscal crisis. We can’t forget where we were just a few years ago, deep in the throes of those crises. While this is an important election year on so many levels, the elections closest to home are no less important. Pay attention in the months ahead and vote on Nov. 5.

Kristi Denton Cohen, of Mill Valley, is co-founder of the Marin Coalition for Water Solutions.