One More Reason Marin Real Estate Values Stay High: Water Is A Limited Resource
There’s lots of reasons that Marin real estate values are among the highest in the country. One of the most important is that there just aren’t that many homes here, and zoning laws that preserve much of the county prevent more from being built. It’s fundamental economics: limiited supply plus escalating demand results in rising prices.
Often overlooked on this issue, however, is that it is not just zoning that limits building. It’s something even more fundamental: the water supply.
Southern and Central Marin County get their water supply from rainfall in Marin. There are a series of seven reservoirs around Mt. Tamalpais, and they collect rainfall in the winter, and distribute it throughout the year. Most of the time, there’s plenty to go around.
However, there are drought years. When I first moved here, we were in a drought. People were installing graywater systems to recycle bath water to water lawns and gardens, and my children grew up very conscious of water usage.In fact, the lack of water stopped building altogether for a while in the 80’s.
MMWD, the local water department, has been actively exploring desalination as a way to solve the problem long term. Recently, the local paper published a front page story noting the cost to do so may be more than twice what they thought.
Would unlimited water create a development surge in Marin County? It’s doubtful. There’s still zoning, and a huge conservation lobby that keeps the zoning in place.
Desalination may eventually augment the supply, but until the cost issue is solved, it’s doubtful that it will replace the existing system anytime soon.
