Almost 1 million Californians don’t have access to safe, clean, reliable water. That’s why in 2012, California passed the human right to water bill. The passage of that bill was a huge win for advocates who had lobbied over many years. CA state statute now recognizes that every person has the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water for daily human needs. (You can see a documentary produced by one of our local residents of Naglee Park, Reverend Lindi Ramsden, on this story: “Thirsty for Justice: the struggle for the human right to water.”)
But the passage of that bill doesn’t mean water is free.
One of the reasons I’m motivated to run is to play a role in keeping our water affordable over time. That is easier said than done and I am not one to make false campaign promises. So, what, in reality, can be done about rates? Are there ways that you can lower your water bill? And if it was so easy, wouldn’t the good people at the District have already done it?
For me, critical to all of this is the role of planning. This is something my career has been focused on for 25 years, working with public agencies to project future growth needs, whether it is housing, transportation or other infrastructure needs so that we can grow sustainably. As a San Jose General Plan Task Force member, we were tasked with projecting future growth and then putting the plan in place to accommodate that growth. I was also a part of several Housing Element working groups, the housing element being the housing plan for each city. And, I served on the San Jose Planning Commission. (These are just a few). Whether it was housing, transportation or the environmental elements of growth, I’ve been in the center of those types of conversations. All so that we have a thoughtful and intentional blueprint, based on data and research, for how our communities should grow.
For the Water District, one of the most critical plans is currently being updated. It is called the Water Supply Master Plan. This plan is updated every five years or so and is the plan that projects our future water needs. From those projections, we then have to figure out what methods/projects to supply water will be enough to quench the thirst of our children and their children. If our projections are high, we will need to invest in more infrastructure projects and that costs money.
Plus, there’s the cost of our daily maintenance and operations, something I never ever want to deprioritize. Valley Water maintains 10 reservoirs, 3 treatment plants, 3 pump stations, 150 miles of pipes, the water purification center, and almost 300 acres of recharge ponds. It’s not inexpensive to do that. And we need a trained and committed workforce that loves working for the Water District so that we never have to worry about water. From the trades worker that maintains pipe to the PhD lab technician testing our water, we need to be able to recruit and retain people who take seriously this critical-to-life function. All those costs are wrapped up in the price of water.
As a director, this is where I would like to focus. Are we accurately projecting future water need? Can we further reduce demand through conservation, real-time information through smart meters, leak detection and increased efficiency for water intensive industries? Can we double down on cross-jurisdictional partnerships that achieve multiple agency objectives with shared costs? Can we build upon our strong relationships at the national level to bring more federal money to the Valley? I’m not brilliant in being the first to ask these questions but they are the areas I would hope to explore more.
If you are interested in learning more about the Water Supply Master Plan, shoot me a note or check out the District’s info here. It is the critical document from which future costs will flow.
Photo: Lindi Ramsden, producer of Thirsty for Justice and Naglee Park resident here in District 2.
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