From: Johnny Nolen <[email protected]>
Date: September 21, 2023 at 11:59:22 AM PDT
To: _CityCouncilListPublic <[email protected]>
Cc: BPU Public Comments <[email protected]>, "Smith, Maraskeshia" <[email protected]>, "Burke, Jennifer" <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] The Water Supply Alternatives Plan - Our Water Future Greetings, City Council members.
I
am writing to share my support for the proposed Water Supply Alternatives Plan. I believe it is a vital step for our community to plan for resilience in the face of known and unknown climate change, and to protect the health and wellness of our community members.
I
was invited at the beginning of the project to participate as a stakeholder representative because of my work at Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, a non-profit that serves our community's low income population. My focus was largely directed towards advocating for equity in the design and implementation plans, but I also came with the background as a passionate environmental activist as have long believed that environmental justice IS economic justice.
I
appreciated how diligent and responsive the team from the Water Department as well as the consulting firm have been at every step in the process of the program's design. The stakeholder group was well populated with a good representation from different areas of our community, industry, and interested NGO policy wonks. The approach to evaluating options was robust with scoring matrix that extended beyond just cost of production to include equity, environmental impact, and reliability. Most, if not all, of our concerns were considered and incorporated into the final plan, which I consider a rare and impressive civic feat. I particularly appreciate the approach that we came to with the design team to have "checkpoints" in the plan. Since the plan is designed to address an uncertain future, it seems most appropriate to stop and assess the status and actual needs as implementation occurs.
I
feel grateful to be living in a city that is so proactive and conscientious as to be doing this important work. I urge you to adopt this plan and celebrate the good it will do for our future selves and families. I know the first steps upon adoption involve further feasibility studies, and I want to say that I would be honored to continue to participate in further stakeholder groups should the need arise.
W
ith gratitude | Con gratitud,
Johnny
Joh
nny Nolen (he/they) Why pronouns matter
Chief Operating Officer
(
707) 54
4-6911 x1087
Visit us at capsonoma.org
N
eed to meet? Click here to schedule with me!
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