2016-17 Water Projects

Proactive Leak Detection and Water Waste Reduction Program

Organization: Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD)
Openings: 0 of 1
Project Description: The Marin Municipal Water District provides high-quality drinking water to central and southern Marin County. Seventy-five percent of MMWD’s water comes from protected watersheds on Mt. Tamalpais and the other twenty-five percent is imported from the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA). MMWD is committed to the statewide priority of increasing water use efficiency through implementation of the Proactive Leak Detection Program and the Water Waste Reduction Program. The fellow will serve as integral support staff in expanding these programs to achieve greater reach in the community.

Every year millions of gallons of water are lost to leaks in Marin County. During a pilot program, Conservation staff analyzed the water use patterns of local customers and as a result, could reliably predict which properties had severe leaks. The fellow will assist in expanding this program through water use analysis, leak verification site visits and customer notification. Additionally, the fellow will support MMWD’s Water Waste Reduction Program to improve response to customers reporting water waste and support interdepartmental communication. The fellow will investigate water waste reports through GIS analysis, water use records, and site visits and identify the responsible parties, notify them of the potential water waste issues and assist in their resolution.

Fellow with a background in the sciences, data analysis and statistics would be beneficial. Experience with GIS would also be helpful.

Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan: Disadvantaged Community Involvement Program

Organization: Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Openings: 0 of 2
Project Description: The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW) is a statewide coalition of grassroots groups and intermediary organizations building a collective, community-based movement for democratic water allocation, management, and policy in California. EJCW collaborates with other Bay Area stakeholders on the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP), a nine-county effort to coordinate and improve water supply and water quality, manage flood protection, maintain public health standards, protect watershed resources, and enhance the overall health of the Bay. EJCW and the San Fransisco Bay IRWMP are committed to the statewide priority of engaging Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) in sustainable watershed management, and increasing regional self-reliance and integrated water management across all levels. Fellows will support inter-agency collaboration and disadvantaged community engagement to build new partnerships and empower the most under-served communities to advocate for clean, safe, and affordable water.

Fellows will work with the Bay Area Program Coordinator and IRWMP Coordinating Committee to assess water-related needs in DACs and to engage in community outreach. This will include: writing letters to Agencies, NGOs, Tribes, and other appropriate community partners; inviting potential partners to participate in outreach efforts; regularly following up with partners via phone calls and emails. Fellows will also develop outreach materials and coordinate public meetings to engage communities in developing solutions to their water-related needs. 

Fellows with background knowledge in water-related impacts of climate change, environmental justice organizing, and advocacy, sustainability practices, and/or traditional indigenous knowledges are strongly preferred (but not required). Spanish language preferred (but not required). Fellows ideally would have access to a vehicle but this is not a requirement. Experience with database development, and mapping is a plus.

Sustainable Groundwater Management 

Organization: Clean Water Fund
Openings: 0 of 1
Project Description: Based in Washington, DC, the Clean Water Fund (CWF) operates locally staffed environmental and health protection programs serving communities in more than 15 states. In California, CWF has been in the forefront of promoting groundwater sustainability for more than a decade through its work in helping small communities access safe drinking water and through its efforts to ensure that the state’s agricultural sector implements practices that are protective of groundwater quality. CWF is committed to the statewide priority of expanding water storage capacity and improving groundwater management. The fellow will be improve regional collaboration and local understanding of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) by providing information and technical support to local residents, agencies and communities, and by communicating local issues to state agencies charged with oversight and regulation of SGMA.

Since its passage in 2014, Clean Water Fund has taken leadership in groundwater through its participation in the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). CWF moderates the NGO Groundwater Collaborative, a coalition of about 60 nonprofits, tribes and community groups that are engaged in local and or state-level implementation of SGMA. The fellow will help facilitate meetings among collaborative members and with state agencies, coordinate feedback on timely issues such as the development of regulations to implement SGMA, and provide technical assistance to local communities. The fellow will also work side-by-side with CWF’s groundwater program manager to track the progress of SGMA implementation in the state’s groundwater basins, identify and develop outreach opportunities, and develop materials and tools to improve local understanding of the importance of sustainable groundwater management.

ReThink Disposable Project

Organization: Clean Water Fund
Openings: 0 of 1
Project Description: Based in Washington, DC, the Clean Water Fund (CWF) operates locally staffed environmental and health protection programs serving communities in more than 15 states. CWF has a track record of educating the public about trash in California’s waterways, eliminating plastic pollution in inland and coastal waterways, and reducing single-use packaging and disposable products that impact water quality. CWF is committed to the statewide priority of making conservation a California way of life. The fellow will be supporting CWF’s ReThink Disposable program, a pollution prevention approach to a stormwater, marine debris, and solid waste problem.

Based on research CWF conducted with five local jurisdiction partners in 2011, ReThink Disposable learned that food and beverage packaging is the primary component of trash entering the Bay and polluting local creeks. The program focuses on reducing plastics and trash entering the Bay with a significant emphasis on food and beverage packaging. The Fellow will support the development and implementation of a new initiative in the ReThink Disposable program, titled “Creating an Unpackaged Community in the Bay Area.” ReThink Disposable will work within one local jurisdiction partner to create a model community where 10-25 percent of all food businesses are ReThink Disposable certified, where a significant number of corporate campuses have changed their model, and a handful of schools have transitioned to re-usable food-ware and inspired surrounding businesses to reduce their packaging. The Fellow will work closely with the Rethink Disposable team to achieve the goal of creating the first “model unpackaged community”.

Evaluating Effective Water-Use Efficiency Partnerships

Organization: Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA)
Openings: 0 of 1
Project Description: The Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) provides high-quality filtered Russian River drinking water, flood protection services, distribution of recycled water, recreational opportunities and wastewater treatment to nine cities and special districts in Marin and Sonoma counties. SCWA is committed to the statewide priority of increasing water use efficiency through implementation of the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership. Fellows will serve as integral support staff in quantifying the Partnership’s water savings.

The Partnership has been implementing a Water Smart Home Program for many years to promote the rebates available and to educate customers on how to find and fix leaks. The project will include reviewing pre- and post-water use data for a statistically significant number of participants to determine water savings. In addition, the project will look at participation in the turf rebate programs to determine if a clustering effect occurs within neighborhoods when a landscape is transformed to water efficient landscaping.