7/13/11
The public will have another chance Thursday to weigh in on what the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District should do with its abundance of water.
In order to maintain water rights, the district is hoping to implement a plan to pursue revenue-generating uses, including attracting companies that use industrial amounts of water, selling water to another municipality, or using water in the Mad River watershed for environmental restoration.
The plan, released earlier this year, was created after a year of extensive outreach to community groups and agencies. The board expects to approve a final draft in August.
Board President Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap said the board hopes residents will attend the hearings -- held at noon and at 6 p.m. -- and provide feedback on the options.
”It would be helpful to hear what folks like about the proposed plan, and if they have any concerns,” she wrote in an email to the Times-Standard. “This document is based entirely on public input already, but it is helpful to hear whether we've distilled that input accurately, or if we've left anything out.”
With California's use-it-or-lose-it water rights system, the district could lose rights to the lion's share of the supply its system was designed to provide. The board has until 2029, the year the current permit expires, to develop and explore long-term options to maintain local control of the water.
The draft plan is available online at www.hbmwd.com/ draft_implementation_plan_to_evaluate_and_advance_ recommended_water-use_ options.
If You Go:
What: Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board of Directors meeting
Where: District office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka
When: Thursday, noon and 6 p.m.
At a glance:
The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District has created a draft plan to evaluate and pursue new water-use options. With the loss of industrial customers, such as pulp mills, the district had to pass costs onto residential customers last year. The plan could help the district find other sources of revenue, and ensure it keeps its water rights, set to expire in 2029.
In April, the district released a draft of the plan, which looks at actively pursuing companies that use industrial amounts of water, selling water to another municipality, or using the water in the Mad River watershed for environmental restoration.
The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board of Directors will hold a public hearing on the plan Thursday at noon and 6 p.m.
