Water Report Claims Marin Does Not Need A Desal Plant

A new report from the folks at Food & Water Watch says Marin does not need a desalination plant for future water needs.  According to the report-

"Similar to other proposed desalination facilities, the Marin Municipal Water District's (MMWD) proposed facility, is unnecessary, energy intensive, expensive and could further degrade the San Francisco Bay."

This pretty much flies in the face of the MMWD who've been pushing for the desal plant recently, especially during the last two drought years.  They claim the plant is needed for water needs during severe drought years when conservation and other methods won't be enough.

The Watch rebuts this argument, and lists several ways the district could improve water reliability, including upgrading existing reservoirs, fixing system leaks, increase water recycling efforts and water conservation practices.

Comments

[Anita Fieldman]

MMWD holds its Conservation Summit on July 8. I highly encourage readers (especially those in the green building, landscaping, and conservation industries) to submit ideas and examples of existing systems and programs to their board member (listed by district on www.marinwater.org) prior to this meeting. Desalination proponents are afraid of running out of water during a prolonged drought. It’s a legitimate fear so the sooner we can implement practical ideas from rooftop gardens to rainwater harvesting and graywater use to cash-for-grass programs, the sooner we can start saving money and water, and the better we’ll all feel about our water future. Anita Fieldman, Marin County Water Coaltion, Transition Mill Valley and Green New Deal for the North Bay (www.GreenNewDeal.info).