North Marin Water District board races draws 4 candidates

Two directors are defending their seats on the North Marin Water District board in the Nov. 5 election.

The winners will make decisions that will impact district service and water quality for about 64,000 customers in northern and western Marin.

Ken Eichstaedt, a director who was appointed by county Supervisor Dennis Rodoni two years ago, is running to keep his Division 1 seat. The division covers Point Reyes Station and Inverness as well as Novato’s Indian Valley area.

Mary Stompe, a former Petaluma City Council member and the wife of a retiring district employee, is running to unseat Eichstaedt.

In the Division 3 race to represent northern Novato, Michael Joly is running for reelection. His opponent is Francis Drouillard, an engineer who ran against Rodoni for his county board seat in March.

The candidates in the contested races spoke with the Independent Journal’s editorial board on Monday. Candidates addressed issues that ranged from the idea of a new reservoir to the controversy that arose over a proposed pump station site in Novato.

Stompe noted her background as a former executive director for the nonprofit PEP Housing, which manages affordable housing projects for seniors and veterans. She said she would be the first woman to serve on the district’s board in more than 20 years.

Stompe believes that the district’s top issue is its aging infrastructure, particularly the water treatment plant in western Marin that she said should be replaced. She noted the district’s practice of having its North Marin system lend $1 million to its West Marin system for its capital needs. Stompe said that a grant writer is needed to help pay for infrastructure costs.

“You cannot use one system to subsidize another system,” she said.

Eichstaedt is a retired city traffic engineer for Petaluma who previously worked on water projects with utility districts in San Francisco and the East Bay, he said. The Olema resident stressed board representation.

“To provide for fair representation, we need a director from West Marin,” Eichstaedt said.

Joly, who has served on the board for nearly eight years, emphasized his district’s successes and he said that the staff and board must explore new water technologies as they develop.

“I’m a committed optimist and a pluralist who listens to others to learn, and I’m an empathic people person and proud of it.”

Drouillard, a Novato resident of more than 30 years, noted his work for a San Francisco bridge design firm and his familiarity with the environmental review process for construction projects.

He promoted the idea of considering a new reservoir. He also changed his position to favor a desalination plant to produce treated water for the district.

“It’s my belief that Marin County needs another reservoir to supply its water resources,” Drouillard said.

Potential locations for a reservoir could be Bolinas Ridge or Novato’s Mount Burdell area, he said.

The district operates the Stafford Lake reservoir and also imports Russian River water purchased from the Sonoma County Water Agency.

None of the other candidates supports having a new reservoir.

Joly and Eichstaedt cited cost issues for not backing the reservoir idea.

“I don’t think that is going to be a viable alternative,” Eichstaedt said.

Stompe said more water storage is needed in western Marin, but she does not support having a new reservoir. She said Stafford Lake only produces 20% of the district’s water.

Although they rejected the reservoir, some candidates were still open to considering a desalination plant.

Stompe and Joly said that the project would need a regional approach.

“I think in moving forward, science will bring us opportunities with desal,” Joly said.

Eichstaedt cited the issues of waste production and high energy usage to operate a desalination plant.

“I don’t think it’s going to pan out at this time,” he said.

Early this year, public opposition arose against the district staff for proposing the relocation of a water pump station to a Novato-city owned lot near Arroyo San Jose Creek. The district seeks to replace the aging station near Lynwood Elementary School.

Neighbors who live near the corner of Ignacio Boulevard and Palmer Drive said the station could create visual blight and noise pollution. Many opponents accused the district of not adequately notifying the community about the project.

Eichstaedt said that the district staff is reviewing other potential station sites including privately owned locations.

“It’s going to cost more and take longer, but we’re looking at projects that are 30, 40, 50 years in length that we want to make sure we provide for the next generation,” he said.

Joly said he has kept a “back channel” with community members at Palmer Drive to hear their views. He said that the board decision on the new station location will be made next year.

“It will be decided to the benefit of ratepayers and all of us, and we’ll come together for a collective good decision,” Joly said.

Stompe said one change that she would bring to the board is how it organizes its meetings. She said that she attended board meetings and saw directors miss opening opportunities for public comment.

Regarding the Lynwood pump station project, Stompe said it should be closer to south Novato for the district’s water distribution center to be improved.

Incumbents Jack Baker of Division 2 and Stephen Petterle of Division 4 are running unopposed.