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I have written several posts recently about the Jerry Brown Tunnel
and their potential to cost the public to service the Big Ag
interests in the Westlands Irrigation District.. There is now a new
reason to be concerned about water rates and the cost of water to
our city. Basically, our water is procured from the Santa Clara
Valley Water District, whether directly from Anderson Lake system or
provided by ground water recharge. Some of that water comes from
San Luis reservoir operated by the San Luis Delta Mendota Water
Authority. Our Water District has 2 Directors on the Water
Authority's board. <br>
<br>
Thursday, at 10:00 AM, the San Luis Delta Mendota water Authority
board will hold a meeting at the Water District's headquarters in
San Jose. At the conclusion of the public agenda for that meeting,
they will go into closed session and, among other items, discuss the
Delta Tunnels. The major user of Water Authority water is the
Westlands Irrigation District. Westlands has recently been fined by
the SEC for using "Enron style accounting" to shore up their bond
ratings. It seems pretty clear that the Water Authority is trying
to get urban rate payers to pay a larger percentage of the cost of
the tunnel project, even though that project will not add one drop
of water to our reserves. But, the cost will end up being passed on
to the Water District, to our communities and to us as ratepayers. <br>
<br>
We should all be following this closely and letting OUR Water
District know that this is not the way to do business, in closed
sessions where they figure out how to keep from being sued, which
the Howard Javis Taxpayer Assn. has threatened to do. If anyone is
free on Thursday Morning, I would ask that you show up at the Water
District HQ at 10:00 to express your <br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you
don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth"
- <i>Roberto Clemente</i></div>
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