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Report: Marin’s desalination plant is not needed

Posted by: Maven on June 6, 2009 at 6:06 am

From the Marin Independent Journal:

The Marin Municipal Water District doesn’t need to build a desalination plant and could employ conservation measures, curb leaks and improve reservoir operations to meet future water needs, according to a new report. The report, “Sustaining Our Water Future,” was issued Wednesday by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit consumer organization Food & Water Watch. It was written by James Fryer, a former water district conservation program manager.

In February, the MMWD Board of Directors directed its staff to keep open the possibility of a controversial 5-million-gallon-a-day desalination plant as part of a package of steps to address the county’s future water needs. But a final decision on desalination won’t come until 2011.

The new report suggests the water district has overestimated the expected water shortfall because it based it on high-use years, not demand in a normal year. By replacing inefficient fixtures, improving landscape irrigation, plugging system leaks and enhancing reservoir operations, Marin could have a reliable water supply without desalination, according to the report.

“The report illustrates what is the most cost-efficient and beneficial way for ratepayers to maintain water supply,” said Adam Scow, of Food & Water Watch, which opposes desalination in general. “People want conservation, they don’t want desalination and they are willing to take steps.”

Read more from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here. You can read the press release from Food & Water Watch by clicking here.

June 6, 2009 · Filed Under Desalination

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