FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2007
Contact: Lupita Maurer, Chair
Washington County Democrats
503-848-2953
Washington County Democrats Pass Resolution
On the Issue of Using Willamette Water for Drinking
The Washington County Democratic Central Committee at its monthly meeting unanimously passed a resolution that supports an initiative petition to block the Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD) from spending any funds toward developing Willamette River water for drinking unless it has been approved by a vote of those in the district.
The resolution states that an ordinance prohibits the use of Willamette River water as a source for drinking without a vote of the people and that district residents five-to-one in a poll want Bull Run water over Willamette River water, yet "the new TVWD budget allocates millions of dollars to continue preliminary efforts toward expansion of the Willamette supply."
Additionally, reads the resolution, "We do not want our district water system to be operated by a private, out-of-state corporation."
The TVWD is to make a decision on the water supply issue Dec. 19. Also under consideration is water from Henry Hagg Lake. The district serves some 200,000 customers in unincorporated Washington County and portions of Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard. ###
The Full Resolution Follows:
“Because the Tualatin Valley Water District has an ordinance in place which prohibits the use of Willamette River water as a source for drinking water without a vote of the people,
“And because the residents of the district have expressed their preference in a poll by 5 to 1 that they want Bull Run water over Willamette River water in their system,
“And because the new TVWD budget allocates millions of dollars to continue preliminary efforts toward the expansion of the Willamette supply,
“And because we do not want our district water system to be operated by a private, out-of-state corporation,
“We propose that the Democratic Central Committee of Washington County express the sense of the Central Committee that we support an initiative petition which prohibits any expenditure of funds by the TVWD toward developing the Willamette River source for drinking water unless such expenditure has been approved by a vote of the people in the district.”