Soulajule proposal will be extremely expensive in the end

Raising Soulajule reservoir to increase Marin County’s water supply will be expensive (“Marin dam expansion proposals rile ranchers,” May 2).

Recently, the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors saw a presentation suggesting that raising the reservoir’s level is a “feasible” project. However, I think MMWD is looking at it through a pinhole, which can give a skewed perception of the real cost.

Construction costs for a Soulajule expansion may be lower than other projects at this point. However, the high cost of Soulajule is not in the building of the dam but in everything else. It will be very expensive and ratepayers will be on the hook to pay. To ignore what is coming would be shortsighted.

MMWD does not own most of the land needed to expand the reservoir. Many of the landowners have no interest in selling. Roads, barns, agricultural businesses and homes would be left underwater.

Accounting for endangered species could increase the cost. Specifically, documented nesting sites of spotted owls could slow construction.

There are still questions about how the larger amount of water expected to be stored at Soulajule will get there from Sonoma County and be moved along for MMWD customers. If more infrastructure is needed, the costs will rise again.

Also, protective easements on several properties are already in place to protect the land from development. That mitigation will cost money.

Last but not least, there is an organized, passionate community of Marin families whose homes and businesses are threatened. They will not stand by and let this happen.

It is vitally important to look at this project in its entirety. Take away the pinhole filter and see what costs are really coming if this “feasible” project moves forward.

— Barbara Reedy, Petaluma