Tell Santa Clara Valley Water District to support strong environmental policies!

Posted March 8, 2008

• Background
• What’s happening
• What’s next
• Why this is important
• What you can do

This Tuesday, March 11th, the Santa Clara Valley Water District will decide whether to adopt new policies to protect local streams and rivers from erosion, and to demand that industrial producers of polluting materials take responsibility to keep their pollution out of the environment. Please ask the District to support the recommendations of its Environmental Advisory Committee on erosive forces and producer responsibility.

Background
The Water District and environmental experts have become increasingly concerned about development in watersheds harming streams and rivers. Water flooding off of paved roads and through storm sewers erodes stream banks and chokes our native fish habitat, including endangered steelhead. The District relies on “Ends Policies” to guide its actions but has none directed at this issue.

The Water District also has to focus on how pollution from industrially-produced products end up in our watershed, harming our habitats and even our water supply. “Extended Producer Responsibility” attempts to address this issue by clarifying that those corporations producing such products, like mercury, should be responsible for keeping them out of the environment. The current system shifts the responsibility onto taxpayers.

To address these issues, the Water District asked its Environmental Advisory Committee, chaired by Committee for Green Foothills Advocate, Brian Schmidt, to suggest new policies and recommendations on erosive forces and Extended Producer Responsibility.

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What’s happening
The Environmental Advisory Committee has been working for several months on recommendations. The recommendations spell out proposed “Ends Policies” to guide the District that state its goals including managing erosion in streams. The Committee also suggests that the District join the California Product Stewardship Council and take actions on its own to support Extended Producer Responsibility.

Last Friday, March 7th, the District finalized a decision to bring these environmental recommendations to the Board of Directors.

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What’s next
On Tuesday, March 11th, the Board of Directors will decide whether to adopt, reject, or modify the environmental recommendations.

Let’s take these crucial steps to protect our environment!

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Why this is important
Inappropriate erosion damages streamside habitats and increase flooding damage. The production of polluting materials also causes significant damages. Mercury in particular is a problem for our region, especially for people who eat our local fish.

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What you can do
Please email the Water District by the morning of Tuesday, March 11th, and ask them to support the Environmental Advisory Committee recommendations on erosive forces and Extended Producer Responsibility.

Write to:
Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors clerkoftheboard@valleywater.org (ask that your email be distributed to all Board Members).

Please send a copy of your message to CGF so we can track our efforts on this issue: fax 650-968-8431 or email: action@GreenFoothills.org.

For more information, read the Water District’s agenda, available at http://www.valleywater.org/About_Us/Board_of_directors/Board_meetings/_2008_Published_Meetings/PublishedMeetings.htm and click on the March 11th agenda, Item Number 8.

Thanks for speaking up for the environment!

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