In the News
September 30, 2010: Measure T Flyer: Yes on T - Vote BEFORE Spending
Our opposition -- Measure S -- is fiscally irresponsible. Measure S allows $30 million of ratepayer money to be spent on desalination without voter approval. Source: MMWD Desalination Engineering report, 2007 -- below:
June 27, 2010: Despite vehement public comments opposing such action, the MMWD board is
moving forward with a competing desalination measure for the November
ballot. Here's a statement from Bill Rothman, one of the community leaders
from the Coalition for the Public Right to Vote on Desalination:
"Those of us who collected 18,000 initiative signatures for a ballot initiative to require a vote of the public before the Marin Municipal Water
District (MMWD) could spend any further money to promote the building of a desalination plant beyond the $5 million it has already wasted on the
project, were disappointed and angered that the Board, while agreeing to
put our meaningful Citizens initiative on the ballot, insisted on also
creating a competing, deceptively-worded initiative that will allow MMWD to go on spending millions of dollars promoting a highly controversial, expensive and unnecessary desalination plant.
"It's unfortunate that the MMWD board didn't listen to the emphatic
requests its constituents. We will work for the passage of the public's
initiative, and the defeat of MMWD's, confusing and deceptive counter initiative."
June 18, 2010: Desalination initiative has enough votes to go on Marin ballot!
June 18, 2010: Statement from Bill Rothman
June 4, 2010: Vote for a Water Ballot on the Marin IJs "Daily Poll." (Note: The Water Ballot is way down the page on the right side.)
June 3, 2010: 17,000 Signatures Deliverfed to Secure Marin's Right to Vote on Desalination.
- The Press Release.
- The photographs from Civic Center: Online Gallery
- The Story in the Marin Independent Journal by Mark Prado.
- Excerpt: Desalination opponents delivered more than 17,000 signatures to the county elections office Thursday to place an initiative on November's ballot seeking a popular vote before desalination moves forward . . . "This is a clear message to the MMWD board that people don't want to see hundreds of millions of dollars spent on a questionable desalination plant," said Sashi McEntee, chairwoman of the Marin County Republican Central Committee. "It's a time to be prudent with ratepayer funds."
June 3, 2010: The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) has been a long-time proponent of building a Marin-based desalination plant despite widespread opposition. The planned $400-million structure--which was already well along in the planning stages--has been postponed. Desal Plant in Marin? Take it to the voters . . .
June 3: Pacific Evening News: KPFA Archives. Vote on Desalination starts at the 53rd minute (Click start then slide the grey bar to the right until to 53:00).
April 14, 2010: MMWD Backs Away from Desalination, Mill Valley Herald
January 15, 2010: Public Right to Vote About Desalination, Marin IJ
January 2010: MMWD Needs a Mandate for Desalination, Surfrider Foundation
The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is planning to build a $400 million desalination plant on San Francisco Bay. (Left, a desalination plant in the Middle East.)
This unnecessary desalination plant will double the District’s energy use, raise our rates, pollute the Bay, and promote growth and development in Marin County. In addition, the desalinated water may be laced with pharmaceuticals, hormones, pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants that are impossible to filter.
Because of these severe consequences, the Coalition for the Public’s Right to Vote about Desalination is collecting signatures in order to place a ballot measure for this November’s election. The measure would require the district to hold a vote of the public before it builds a desalination plant.
