Monday May 2, 2022
Marin Independent Journal —
Marin County’s two largest water utilities are working to narrow down what new sources of supply would provide the most benefit in droughts.
The North Marin Water District presented findings of a study looking at how to bolster supplies for the more than 60,000 residents it serves in its greater Novato service area.
The top scorers were projects to enhance the storage at the district’s Stafford Lake reservoir. Other options such as desalination, creating new reservoirs, dredging the lake and a major recycled water expansion were deemed too expensive or infeasible given the district’s size.
“We’re trying to maximize the amount of local water that enters the lake,” Tony Williams, the district’s assistant general manager, said during a public workshop on the assessment last week.
The Marin Municipal Water District, which serves 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin, is working to complete a similar study to determine how much water it needs to meet future demands and have more supply in major droughts.