MALT believes that we can simultaneously achieve our community goals of preserving agriculture and strengthening water security. These two goals are, at a fundamental level, mutually intertwined.
During the recent drought, MALT committed $829,363 over a two-year period to support 70 water infrastructure projects that build long-term drought resilience on farms and ranches. This initiative demonstrated that we can both protect agriculture and build water security through strategic investments.
Currently, Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is wisely exploring long term responses to anticipated future drought events through a water assessment process. As a part of MMWD’s Strategic Water Supply Assessment, they have identified potential reservoir expansions (Soulajule Reservoir) or developments (Upper Nicasio Reservoir) that directly impact Marin’s vulnerable and protected agricultural lands.
MALT does not support either of these proposed options as they would put more than 5,200 acres of MALT-protected farms and ranches at risk of being taken out of agricultural use forever.
Once land is taken out of agriculture, it rarely returns to that purpose and we permanently lose local sources of food and fiber. The MALT agricultural conservation easements that have been placed on the ranches within the study area have been funded by local, state, and federal grants to specifically protect critical working and natural lands.
While MALT strongly supports MMWD’s efforts to bolster Marin County’s water supply, we urge the district to do so in a way that does not put Marin County’s irreplaceable agricultural resources at risk.
We believe that the water supply project options that do not eliminate agricultural lands are preferable solutions for all Marin County.