M a r i n M unicipal
Water D istrict
O n t h e W a t e r F r o n t
An update on major district issues, projects and water conservation activities.
From the General Manager
An Evolving Water Supply Picture
2 0 1 0
Storm clouds over Kentfield
and Corte Madera Creek. This
year's above-average rainfall
has filled MMWD's reservoirs
j u n e
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O n t h e Wat e r F r o n t
Due to a significant decrease in water consumption, the MMWD Board
of Directors voted in April to pause work on the planning process for a
desalination facility. The facility is one water supply option—along with
reservoir improvements, expanded use of recycled water and increased
conservation—the district has been pursuing to help ensure a reliable
water supply for customers during droughts and in the future.
for the first time since April,
2006. See "Water Supply 2010
m a y
In this issue:
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Update" on page 2.
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• From the
General Manager
An Evolving Water Supply Picture
• Take the Guesswork
Out of Watering
• Water Supply 2010 Update
MMWD Reservoirs Reach
Capacity
• Pipeline Project Will Close Trails Near Phoenix Lake
• Weather Stations Help You Know When to Water
• Water Tables
Marin Municipal Water District
At the time the desalination facility was approved, water demand was averaging
Paul Helliker
more than 30,000 acre-feet1per year (AFA)—well over the 28,000 acre-feet we
would be able to count on in the first year of a drought (with even less available in
subsequent years). Over the past 18 months, however, we have seen demand drop to 27,000 AFA. If demand
were to continue at the current level, MMWD’s existing supplies would be adequate to carry us through a twoyear drought with 25 percent rationing in the second year.
A number of factors may be contributing to lower demand: the economic downturn, cooler temperatures, and
customers doing their part—and more—to help conserve our precious supplies. The big question is, Will the
current trend continue or will demand return to previous levels?
MMWD staff are analyzing the data and will look at consumption patterns for the remainder of 2010. In addition,
we are updating our Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), a blueprint for water reliability and efficiency that
California requires of all water suppliers every five years. The UWMP process will help us to further understand
our changing water supply picture. All these findings will be presented to the board in early 2011, when we will
revisit whether a desalination facility is needed.
1One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, or enough water to cover a football field to a depth of one foot.
Take the
Guesswork
out of Watering—with MMWD's weekly schedule
Not sure how much water your garden needs?
Did You Know?
MMWD’s “Weekly Watering Schedule” can help!
Many people turn on their irrigation systems
full tilt as soon as the rainy season ends. But
over the summer your plants’ water needs
will vary a lot depending on weather conditions, day length and other factors. By
adjusting your irrigation schedule to give
your plants just what they need, you’ll
save water and money while maintaining a healthy garden.
Our free “Weekly Watering
Schedule” provides easyto-follow guidelines that
let customers know how
many minutes they need to
water—or how to adjust
their automatic irrigation
systems—to keep plants
happy. Schedules are available for our three different
climate zones: southern (cool
temps), central (moderate) and
northern (hot).
• Outdoor water use accounts for up to half
of all water consumed in the summer.
• Up to 80 percent of plant problems are
related to incorrect watering.
• Most gardens receive 20-50 percent
more water than they really need.
There are three ways to get the schedule:
1. Call our “Water Saver Tip Line,” updated
every Friday, at (415) 945-1578.
2. Find the schedule at marinwater.org.
3. Sign up to receive the schedule via
email—along with helpful water-smart
garden tips—by visiting marinwater.org
or emailing [email protected].
220 Nellen Ave. Corte Madera, C A 9 4 9 2 5 4 1 5 9 4 5 1 4 5 5
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Pipeline Project Will Close Trails
Near Phoenix Lake
Water Supply 2010 Update
MMWD Reservoirs Reach Capacity
MMWD will be installing 3,600
feet of new pipe in the Phoenix
Lake area between June and
november. The new pipeline is part
of a critical water transmission line
that delivers treated water from west
Marin to central and southern Marin.
The project is part of the district’s longrange plan to increase the amount of
water available for firefighting and to
increase the reliability of the water
system after an earthquake. To facilitate this work, and for public safety,
we will restrict public access in and
around the project.
On April 3, water began flowing over the spillway at Kent Lake, the last of the district’s seven
reservoirs to reach 100 percent capacity. This is
the first time in four years that all of the district’s
reservoirs have been full.
The rainy season got off to an auspicious start
in October with much–above–average rainfall.
Other than November, which was quite dry, the
monthly rainfall amounts were close to the average values for the months of December through
March. By mid-April, we had surpassed the average annual rainfall of 52 inches.
Above-average rainfall and full reservoirs mean
rationing won’t be needed this summer, but it
doesn’t mean we can all slack off when it comes
to conservation! We rely on local rainfall stored
in our reservoirs for 75 percent of our water
supply. Because we don’t know how much rain
we will see next year, it’s important to continue
conserving water this year. Thank you for doing
your part.
MMWD’s three meteorological stations—one
in each of the different climate zones in our
service area—measure local air temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed and solar
radiation on a minute-by-minute basis. This
information is used to calculate the rate of
reference evapotranspiration (ETo)—that is,
how much water is being lost from plants
and soil into the air. MMWD’s landscape experts crunch the data to create an
easy-to-follow “Weekly Watering Schedule” that lets customers know how
long they need to run their irrigation systems to replace lost soil moisture.
(See story on page 1.)
90
80
79,566
65,952
71,605
50
40
30
20
100% of
capacity
100% of
capacity
83% of
capacity
90% of
capacity
10
Total
Capacity
This
Year
Last
Year
Average
0
David Behar, President
Jack Gibson, Vice President
Cynthia Koehler
They may look like little alien spacecraft that have touched down in
Marin, but these high-tech contraptions are helping MMWD customers
save water outdoors.
storage in acre-feet (one acre-foot = 325,851 gallons)
60
Board of Directors
Customers Know When to Water
75% of the water we use is from
MMWD reservoirs
79,566
Marin Municipal
Water District
Weather Stations Help MMWD
Storage
70
Several popular routes
around and leading to
Phoenix Lake will be
closed for the duration of
the project. Additionally,
periodic closures of up
to one week will occur
at specific locations as needed to
complete the work. We will strive to
minimize the disruption to visitors and
to open each route as soon as possible. Please contact Project Manager
Carl Gowan at cgowan@marinwater.
org or (415) 945-1577 if you have any
questions. Thank you for your patience
and understanding.
Armando Quintero
Larry Russell
Paul Helliker, General Manager
Libby Pischel, Editor
Ann Dickinson, Writer
MMWD’s Board of Directors
meets at 7:30 pm the first
and third Wednesday of every
month in the District Board
Room, 220 Nellen Avenue,
Corte Madera.
All board meetings are
open to the public.
The weather stations are part of the California Irrigation Management Information
System (CIMIS), a network of over 130 automated weather stations in the state.
CIMIS was developed in 1982 by the Department of Water Resources and UC
Davis to help irrigators manage water resources efficiently.
As of Apr. 12, 2010
Kiki La Porta, Design
Barbara Stenson, Circle Photo
printed on recycled paper
RAINFALL
water usage
25% of the water we use is imported from the Russian River
under a contract with the Sonoma County Water Agency
*estimated
MG = millions of gallons
1,200
55
1,100
50
1,000
Reservoirs
899 MG
900
800
700
Reservoirs
552 MG
Reservoirs
885 MG
45
Reservoirs
805 MG
40
Reservoirs
720 MG
35
600
Reservoirs
548 MG
500
400
30
Reservoirs
328 MG
Reservoirs
235 MG
Reservoirs
207 MG
300
Reservoirs
205 MG
Reservoirs
222 MG
Reservoirs
303 MG
0
25
20
15
200
100
65
60
Russian
River
244 MG
Russian
River
140 MG
Russian
River
106 MG
Russian
River
108 MG
Russian
River
101 MG
Russian
River
150 MG
Russian
River
256 MG
Russian
River
300 MG
Russian
River
288 MG
Russian
River
225 MG
Russian
River
288 MG
Russian
River
205 MG
May
2009
June
2009
July
2009
August
2009
Sept.
2009
Oct.
2009
Nov.
2009
Dec.
2009
Jan.
2010
Feb.
2010
March
2010
April*
2010
Marin Municipal Water District
220 Nellen Ave. Corte Madera, C A 9 4 9 2 5 4 1 5 9 4 5 1 4 5 5
10
5
This
Year
Last
Year
Average
53.24"
39.89"
48.33"
July 1, 2009 to Apr. 12, 2010
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