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Marin County developers could face new fees

Russ Allison Loar
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Flickr / Creative Commons

Faced with the need to reduce the demand on water supplies, Marin County developers would have to pay thousands of dollars in new fees, according to a proposal by the Marin Municipal Water District.

The Marin Independent Journal reported that the water district’s board is considering a new measure which would require future projects in its jurisdiction to have a net-zero demand on reservoirs.

Recent heavy rains in Northern California have partially filled many of the county’s reservoirs, which remain low. The county has already increased water restrictionson customers to cope with the drought. But board members said the state’s continuing drought has shown the need for new approaches to conserving water supplies.

However, critics of the proposal argue that it could drive up development costs for affordable housing projects, which have already been designed to be more water-efficient.

The proposal, and other water conservation measures, will be discussed on Tuesday.

Revenue from the proposed fees could be used by the district to pay for water-saving projects. A district quality manager told the Independent-Journal that these projects include turf replacement incentives, expansion of its recycled water system, leak detection improvements, wireless water meter installations and groundwater storage.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.