Marin utility gets $6.4M grant for water main replacements

Significant upgrades to aging and leak-prone water pipes are coming to parts of Marin County through a $6.4 million state grant.

The Marin Municipal Water District plans to use the grant to replace half of the water mains in Marin City and about 17% of those in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael.

"This is one of the larger grants that the district has received," said Elysha Irish, the district engineering manager. "This is a result of a very collaborative effort with our community partners."

The grant is the first the district has received through a Proposition 1 program that funds water upgrades in disadvantaged communities, according to Irish. Proposition 1 was the $7.5 billion bond measure approved by state voters in 2014 for environmental restoration and water projects. The district will provide a $1.3 million matching contribution to the project.

Starting in January, the district plans to replace 3.5 miles of water pipes and 275 service lateral connections — the pipes that connect water mains to homes and businesses.

The projects will not disrupt water service because the new pipes will be installed parallel to the existing ones, Irish said.

Two community organizations — the Multicultural Center of Marin in San Rafael and Marin City Climate Resilience and Health Justice — are partnering on the project to communicate with residents about the plan.

The executive director of the multicultural center, Douglas Mundo, said water quality has long been a concern for Canal-area residents. The largely Latino neighborhood has been advocating for nearly a decade for improvements to water quality, Mundo said.

"Local institutions responsible for these matters are coming to the table, listening to the community and finding a way to respond to the needs of the community, especially when it comes to underserved communities," Mundo said.

Terrie Green, executive director of Marin City Climate Resilience and Health Justice, said water quality also has been a longtime concern among residents. Green said advocating for agencies and public officials to pursue funding for the problem required significant effort among a variety of community members.

She said the work is not finished.

"We all share in this victory, together, yet, we cannot stop here," Green wrote in an email. "We need 100% of new pipes in the lower watershed area of Marin City, and we will continue to fight until environmental justice takes place all throughout the community of Marin City."

The agency aims to begin work in Marin City in 2024 followed by the Canal area in 2026. The estimated completion date is before the end of June 2027, Irish said. Without the grant, Irish said the upgrades would have taken a decade to complete.

Many of the pipes slated for replacement are made of cast iron or asbestos concrete and are more than 60 years old, nearing the end of their service life.

"We have been seeing some leaks in these areas," Irish said. "This project will help to increase the water supply reliability and provide seismically resilient pipes in these areas."

Within the past 10 years, the district has recorded 24 leaks of its pipes and service laterals in Marin City and 37 leaks in the Canal neighborhood. The leaks resulted in a loss of about 120 acre-feet of water during that decade, which equates to about 0.5% of the district's annual potable water usage.

The new water main pipes will be made of welded steel and are expected to have a 100-year lifespan, Irish said. The service laterals will be replaced with insulated copper piping.

In its application to the state, the district states the upgrade is estimated to save up to 350 acre-feet of water — equivalent to roughly 1.5% of the district's annual potable water consumption — during the next 20 years.

The grant application received support from U.S. Rep Jared Huffman and Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters.

Huffman, whose district includes Marin, said upgrades are overdue in the communities.

"Along with significant investment in local water infrastructure, this state grant funding will enable Marin Water and its partners to improve and rebuild our deteriorating water infrastructure in disadvantaged communities, and I will keep pushing to make sure our region gets its fair share of investments," Huffman wrote in a statement.

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