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<div id="articleByline" class="articleByline"><a class="articleByline" href="mailto:mprado@marinij.com?subject=Marin%20Independent%20Journal:%20Desalination%20initiative%20has%20enough%20votes%20to%20go%20on%20Marin%20ballot">Mark
Prado</a></div>
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<div id="articleDate" class="articleDate">Posted: 06/18/2010
02:53:41 PM PDT</div>
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</script><span fd-type="start" fd-id="default"></span>An
initiative that would require voter approval before a controversial
Marin desalination plant could move forward has enough valid signatures
to qualify for the ballot.
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The Marin Responsible Water Policy Ballot Initiative qualified for the
November ballot with many more signatures of registered voters than
required, said Melvin Briones, assistant registrar of voters.</div>
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"They needed 11,068, and they provided 15,431 valid signatures," Briones
said Friday.</div>
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The initiative will ask whether Marin voters want to require the Marin
Municipal Water District to seek voter permission before it proceeds
with plans to implement desalination, a process in which bay water is
cleaned and used for drinking water.</div>
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The water district board will also have the opportunity to simply
approve the initiative before it goes to the ballot, making it policy.</div>
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"We strongly urge that the MMWD board itself enact the initiative,
thereby responding to the public," said Bill Rothman of Belvedere, who
led the effort to gather signatures.</div>
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In August 2009 the water district board voted 4-0 to move forward with
the desalination project. But in April, the board decided to suspend
further work on the project until it could get a better handle on
declining water demand.</div>
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The board directed its staff to analyze water use for this year and
determine if a declining pattern in water use would continue. The
findings will be presented in early 2011 and then decisions will be made
on water supply projects, </div>
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including
desalination.
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<hr> <i>Read more San Rafael stories at the IJ's <a href="http://www.marinij.com/sanrafael">San Rafael</a> section.</i>
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Contact Mark Prado via e-mail at <a href="mailto:mprado@marinij.com">mprado@marinij.com</a></div>
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