Comment on Marin Desalination Due March 28th

March 10, 2008

MMWD has extended the public comment period for this EIR. Public comments can be submitted via email (desalinationeir@marinwater.org ) or in writing to MMWD, 220 Nellen Ave., Corte Madera, CA 94925. EIR comments are due no later than 4:30 pm, March 28, 2008. All the documents are up for public review.

Patti Newman of San Rafael had a Marin IJ Letter to the Editor in which she expressed concern that the intake of the proposed desalination plant would be near where we have been having sewage leaks. Can the desalination plant handle a sewage spill?

Desalination will cost us anywhere between 115 million to 175 million (I always think it will cost more than they say because you never go wrong overestimating how much these projects end up costing).

I know this is going to make me real unpopular, but I really think that Marinites have to rethink having lawns. Just the other day, my son and I went to the park by the Marinwood Community Center, and we rolled on the fresh cut grass and looked up at the blue sky. Grass is nice. We played Frisbee on it. At what cost do almost all of my neighbors have a lawn? According to John Olaf Nelson of the North Marin Water District, turf irrigation generally averages 40% of annual residential water demand and can top 60% in peak months. Then there are the pesticides and fertilizers which end up running off into the bay which will eventually be sucked up by our desalination plant.

Marin should also be aggressive in promoting residential and commercial water capturing systems. There should be incentives in installing gray water systems.

There is a local company based in Oakland called, Waterspout. They do systems for grey water and rainwater collection, as well as sustainable landscaping using native drought tolerant plants, edible landscape, succulant zeriscapes, subtropical and aquatic landscapes, and creative recycling of materials for hardscapes. With combination of water collection systems and drip systems we can have landscaping that can withstand the harshest droughts and can be low maintainance. When it rains, it would be nice to have a rain garden feature that will help filter run off before it goes to the bay.

Permeable paving can help filter runoff.

All the conservation and collection in the world may not be enough and we will probably have to build the plant. The North Bay continues to develop and bring more people and that will drive up demand.

What say you all?

Bookmark and Share

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks