Soulajule’s original size is right for environment

This summer, to mitigate the damage to the people and environment surrounding it, members of the Marin Municipal Water District staff and their consultants are studying ways to “rightsize” the Soulajule reservoir (“MMWD explores projects to add storage capacity,” March 27).

I wonder if the proposed additional 20,000 acre feet is actually the “right” volume for that site. Maybe it should be less. I think the answer lies in the past.

When the reservoir was built in response to the drought of 1976, MMWD directors at the time figured that they could construct a dam to create a 10,000 acre-foot reservoir without causing undue harm. In other words, Soulajule is already the right size right now, according to those plans.

Instead of expansion, I think MMWD officials should restart the project to electrify the Soulajule pump station. At the relatively low project cost of $7 million, Marin gains access to 10,000 acre feet of water that has been heretofore rarely accessed.

MMWD should keep Soulajule at its present size. There is no need to increase the size of this reservoir at such high cost to the environment, the adjacent neighborhoods and to MMWD ratepayers.

— Carol Dolcini, Hicks Valley