My Top Priorities for MMWD

By Toni Kendall

Public Health & Safety, Fiscal Accountability, and Environmental Accountability

• Increased testing for toxins and pesticides. MMWD tests for pesticides in Russian River water just once a year, and does no testing for some carcinogens that could affect our water supply. As a woman who has lost friends and relatives to breast cancer, I believe we must do more.

• Greater commitment to fire safety. With $23 million in reserves, MMWD can afford to accelerate and expand "fire flow" and vegetation management programs to protect us from a catastrophic fire.

• Invest in cost-effective conservation and recycling programs -- the most reliable long-term solution for our water supply.

• A closer look at the Russian River pipeline: it will cost AT LEAST $20 Million, will require major rate increases, and new information shows that this is just the tip of the financial iceberg. Let's get all the facts before rushing into a fiscal fiasco.

• Expanded water conservation and recycling will enable us to meet our water supply needs without changing our lifestyles and without depleting environmentally threatened watersheds.

• Oppose additional water importation from threatened Russian and Eel Rivers. We should consider these alternatives only if conservation and recycling programs prove inadequate.