Marin water board considers turning to bay for future needs (desalination) [View All]

For a mere $115 million, homes in Marin County could soon be sucking de-salted bay water through their taps, according to an environmental report scheduled for release this week.

The Marin Municipal Water District on Wednesday will present a draft environmental report on a proposed desalination plant, becoming the first water agency in the Bay Area to seriously consider using San Francisco Bay for drinking water.

The district's 190,000 customers in southern and central Marin will have considerable say over whether water district directors eventually decide to build the plant, in part because the ratepayers will likely end up financing the construction through taxes or higher water rates, officials said.

"It's a great deal of money. It's a great deal of energy. On the other hand, it's a reliable water supply," said Cynthia Koehler, the water district board president. "We need to have that kind of conversation with our community."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/05/BA52T5KUI.DTL