SAN RAFAEL (KPIX 5) – The worsening drought is forcing a Bay Area water district to rethink a possible solution and, in some ways, go back in time.
A pipeline spanning the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge could partially address the water shortage. It hasn’t been fully approved yet, but millions of dollars are being spent to see if it could be a viable solution.
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Nearly 200,000 Marin Counties rely on the Mount Tamalpais watershed for drinking water and other needs. But years of lack of precipitation, and perhaps many more, is drying up its reservoirs.
“There was understandably a lot of concern, will we run out of water? Many people have reached out to me with great concern and said this was a crisis of biblical proportions, “said Cynthia Koehler, president of the Marin Municipal Water District Board.
The water district just approved $ 2.2 million for consultants to work on initial designs for a 7 to 8 mile long pipeline that spans the upper deck of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and supplies much-needed water from the farm Areas of the Central Valley.
“A pipeline is the kind of thing that you can get to when you need it,” says Köhler. “It’s not the kind of thing that we have to buy Central Valley water for when we’re not in a drought.”
Tom Flynn of local environmental group Green Change believes the pipeline project should be explored, but fears that pumping water to meet growing demand will only result in unnecessary energy consumption.
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“We are currently trying to meet all of our energy needs,” said Flynn. “The more we add additional energy requirements, the more difficult it becomes to be able to rely entirely on renewable energies. ”
Mandatory restrictions such as limiting the use of water for lawns are already in place. However, recent figures show that consumers are falling short of the district’s 40 percent water-saving goal.
Building a pipeline, as the district did during the 1977 drought, could be part of the solution and would likely not be dismantled for the foreseeable future as the drought is a recurring problem.
“We really see this as a long-term investment,” said Köhler.
Water officials estimate the new line would cost $ 60 to 80 million to build. If everything goes according to plan with the approvals, the project could be completed in early June. Consumers should also expect a price increase.
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If it fails, the board will consider other options, including further tightening restrictions and reviewing desalination plants.