By Dan Cornford

The proposed Davis-Woodland Water Project (total cost $325 million) is one of the largest, if not the largest, infrastructure venture that the city has embarked upon. However, despite significant evidence as to its costs and shortcomings, there has been a relatively superficial public debate about it, and alternative solutions.

An issue of this momentous economic importance requires further debate and should be decided by the voters of Davis and Woodland.

A flawed Proposition 218 property owner vote, a few public hearings and council meetings have failed to highlight and publicize the many shortcomings of the plan.

If the project is approved by the City Council on Tuesday, even the most conservative estimates are that our water rates will triple between 2011 and 2017. It is more likely that for a majority of people they would quintuple, with the typical household paying $1,000 more annually for water.

Coupled with other city fee increases, it is likely that city fees could rise to $600 every other month by 2017.

In addition, Davis businesses will experience dramatic cost increases. Furthermore, the net loss of purchasing power in the community will greatly hurt Davis’ businesses, and strain many household budgets at a time when all the medium- and long-term economic indicators are pointing downwards.

Consider fully the domino effects of this costly project. Will a majority of voters continue to be willing to approve supplemental parcel property tax measures to support our schools, libraries and parks? I do not think so.

Yet Mayor Joe Krovoza and his council majority have been unrelenting, to date, in their determination to push through this project in spite of expert criticism from such people as Walter Sadler, a hydrological engineer with 40 years of experience (see his Davis Enterprise op-ed piece published Sunday).

Furthermore, I have seen almost no discussion of what would happen in the not-impossible event that Woodland had to default on its payments. If Vallejo had to declare bankruptcy then so might Woodland.

Yes, Davis and Woodland have long-term water quantity and quality issues that need to be addressed. However, there needs to be a much fuller, wider and more open debate on solutions.

Finally, if, as we are told, the issues are so imminent and urgent, why is it that many supporters of the project backed Covell Village (1,864 homes)? Parenthetically, the EIR on Covell Village (2004), and indeed the general fierce debate on it, barely mentioned the issue of available water.

Between 2005 and 2008, 406 units were constructed in the city and, according to the city’s data, 864 units of all types “may be issued building permits during the four-year period 2010-2013.” This does not include UC Davis’s West Village (475 houses).

Please call on our mayor and the council for further discussion of the project and alternatives to it, and ask that the final plan be submitted to voters.

— Dan Cornford is a Davis resident. Reach him at [email protected]

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