I participated in two show and tell meetings with Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) yesterday, the first with just City staff and me in the morning, and the second at last night’s City Council meeting. The content of both was identical.

MMWD staff started by apologizing for not including Richmond in previous project staff and committing to full participation in the future. The selected slides below are pretty self-explanatory about key components of the project.

In the morning meeting, we requested a lot more detail about locations, construction methods and schedules to even be in a position to evaluate and comment on the impacts and potential mitigations, some of which were not even discussed, such as replacement of existing water lines in Richmond Streets and impact on bridge traffic during construction. Mitigations, such as a small park with restrooms and other services at the east end of the bridge and assistance in financing the Bay Trail extension to Point Molate were proposed by TRAC.

The construction period is estimated to run from mid-March to the end of June 2022.

At the City Council meeting, additional concerns were expressed, including the source and quality of water. MMWD official explained that the water would be purchased from agricultural users with existing water rights and that it could include water from underground sources. The water would eventually be comingled with and treated with EBMUD water. Some questions raised include:

• What would be the effect on the quality and taste of EBMUD water?
• If fields in the Central valley are left fallow so the water that would otherwise be used for crops is sold to MMWD, would that result in unemployment of agricultural workers?

Speakers at the City Council meeting were also critical of MMWD for not taking the drought seriously enough and delaying or providing inadequate conservation measures. It is clear that there is a an equity and resource conservation dimension to this project that goes beyond construction issues. We also need more engagement from EBMUD, which so far has been both silent about and complicit in the projects.

I will be appointing an ad hoc committee to evaluate and provide feedback to MMWD, the City of Richmond, BCDC and EBMUD. It will include representatives from three neighborhood councils, TRAC, East bay Bicycle Coalition, the Point Richmond Business Association, City staff and not more than three City Council members.