Re-elections on Western Water’s board, leadership changes, and updates on California’s Delta Conveyance and Sites Reservoir projects.
Western Municipal Water District Update
Two Western Water Board of Directors seats were on the ballot this month. Although the election has not yet been certified, it is clear that Director Laura Roughton, representing Division 4, which includes the Cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, and Norco, and Director Fauzia Rizvi, representing Division 5, which includes Corona, Home Gardens, El Cerrito and a part of Temescal Canyon has been re-elected to four-year terms. Congratulations to both Directors, and thank you to the candidates who showed an interest in serving on Western Water’s board.
Western Water will elect officers at the first meeting in January. I have completed two consecutive terms as President, which is all that is permitted by Western’s regulations, so expect we will be electing a new President, Vice President, and Treasurer to serve for 2025. It has been an honor to help lead Western Water these past two years, and I am confident our new officers will serve Western and our constituents well.
State Water Infrastructure Updates
Governor Newsom has come out strongly in favor of both the Delta Conveyance Project and the Sites Reservoir Project.
The Delta Conveyance Project is a tunnel that would divert excess flow in the Sacramento River upstream of the delta and deliver it to the existing State Water project near the mouth of the delta. The existing pumping station works well from an engineering perspective but can significantly impact several species of fish, notably the federally protected Delta Smelt and salmon. There is also a real risk a major earthquake could cause the failure of levies throughout the delta, causing saltwater intrusion from San Francisco Bay and making the water at the current diversion point unusable for human use…