Joanne Delmonico for TVWD

Joanne Delmonico
for
Tualatin Valley Water District
Board of Commissioners, position 1
May 19, 2009 special election
Endorsed by
Citizens For Safe Water
Families for Safe Water Coalition
TVWD Commissioner Marie Haynes

Please feel free to contact me directly.
contact info

Joanne supports Colm Brennan for TVWD Board position 2.

As a mother, community member and nutritionist, I have concerns about the future source of our drinking water. Choices will have to be made soon that could expose us to the questionable waters of the Willamette River. Its time that the rate payers understand the costs to the health of our families and to your pocket books if the board makes the wrong choice for the 50 year plan. Do we want to be drinking the polluted Willamette River water?

It is clear that the strained relationship with portland has resulted in a rush for a costly expansion of Hagg Lake or, if that fails, then a run to the Willamette! Portland's Bull Run is a source of pristine unfiltered water delivered by gravity flow which saves energy. The other options require substantial energy to treat and pump water, not the best long range plan given the challenges of global warming.

As a member of the Board and a mediator, I would encourage the district to re-open negotiations with the Portland Water bureau. A good relationship with Portland could result in a plan to further develop the Bull Run system and ensure high quality water for our future.

As a resident of the district, I have concerns about the process of decision making at the district. As a Board member, I would encourage more openness and transparency. We need to be well informed about the options being proposed to us.

I want to be a voice on the Board looking out for the well-being of our families.

Safe water is my priority!

Why am I seeking this position?

The Citizens For Safe Water group has been working on this issue for many years. The group was very knowledgeable about the complex water issues and I listened and learned about the options for our future water supply.

I then began attending the Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD) monthly board meetings and asking questions about some of the issues being presented. I was not satisfied with the answers. The costs of each of the options seemed skewed and one of the options included spending hundreds of millions on a pipeline and treatment plant for the Willamette. The District and most of the board members seemed to feel that the Willamette was a safe source because of the claim that EPA standards were met. There was also a sense that the District was not in favor of continuing a relationship with Portland and the Bull Run system.

With the prospect of overcoming public resistance to using the Willamette, the District chose instead to use an expanded Hagg Lake by raising the Scoggins Dam forty feet, and by pumping water from the Tualatin River during the winter to insure filling the lake.

Since then, concerns have arisen about the feasibility and cost of the Hagg Lake plan particularly related to earthquake resistance and District liability issues. The District is again considering other options if the dam raise proves too costly or even infeasible, and the option of the Willamette is back on the table.

I decided that this issue is important and that I could be a voice for the residents and families of the District. It is a good time to get involved when the future of our drinking water supply is being debated and decided. I want to be a voice for the residents and my priority is the safest, cleanest water for our families.

Bull Run watershed

I would greatly appreciate any contribution you could send to my election campaign. Make checks payable to
"Joanne Delmonico for Water Board"
and send along with your name, address, occupation, and employer (for state-required reporting) to:
Joanne Delmonico for Water Board
9601 NW Leahy Rd #305
Portland, OR 97229