Marin Water Punts On Hookup Ban: Report

MARIN COUNTY, CA — The Marin Municipal Water District has put off a decision on banning new water service hookups until later this month, The Marin Independent Journal reports.

The controversial proposal, which comes amid a historic drought, would figure to stymie housing construction at a time when the region is facing a historic housing crisis, too.

Reconciling these conflicting aims – reducing water use and meeting state housing construction goals – appear to be have been a factor in the board’s decision at Tuesday’s meeting to delay consideration of the proposal until its next meeting on June 15.

Developers and housing advocates oppose the measure according to the report, arguing the proposal would have minimal impact on water use, the report said.

The IJ cites a staff report that appears to back up their assertion.

The district earlier this year enacted tough restrictions that aim to reduce water use by 40 percent — and that was before the district learned a key supplier was cutting exports this summer.

The district gets around 25 percent of its water from Sonoma Water, which is cutting exports by 20 percent over a three-month period starting July 1, The Marin Independent Journal reports.

The MMWD serves central and southern Marin and provides water to around 190,000 residents.

A long-term ban would hinder Marin's ability to hit ambitious California housing goals, The San Francisco Chronicle reports, noting the state expects cities and counties to plan for the development of 17,600 units over the next eight years.

The district declared a drought in mid-February and launched a public awareness campaign asking customers to conserve water by voluntarily cutting back on irrigation, not washing vehicles, and conserving water indoors.

The district last month enacted bans on washing vehicles at home, power washing homes and businesses, among others.

A restriction limiting golf courses to watering tees and greens went into effect Thursday.

Persistent warm, dry weather lowered Marin Water's reservoir storage capacity to 52 percent —the lowest level in nearly 40 years.

Storage levels for this time of year are typically more than 90 percent.

Much of the West Coast, including nearly all of California, is experiencing drought conditions.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of June 1, 94.6 percent of California is in a severe drought, 74.3 percent of the state is in an extreme drought and 24 percent of the state is experiencing "exceptional drought" conditions.

Read more in The Marin Independent Journal