The Marin Water Board of Directors on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2025, unanimously approved a resolution naming a pair of 2-million-gallon water storage tanks currently under construction after former Board Member Jack Gibson. 

Scheduled for completion in January 2029, and located near Concrete Pipe and Sky Oaks roads, the newly named Gibson Tanks will replace the century-old Pine Mountain Tunnel, linking the rich history of the District to ongoing water system modernization efforts that are helping to ensure high-quality, reliable drinking water for future generations. 

Gibson, who served on the Board of Directors from 1994-2022, said the Board’s decision to name the new tanks after him came as a surprise. 

“It is an honor. I can’t quite describe it,” Gibson said, before shifting to acknowledge others. “There’s a lot of people in the water district community – both inside and outside – that are equally deserving of recognition.” 

During his 28 years on the Board, Gibson served on various committees, and led the Board as President in 1996, 2000, 2006, 2011 and 2020 while representing the areas of Sleepy Hollow, Terra Linda, Marinwood, Gallinas Valley, Santa Venetia and beyond. Some of those constituents were present Tuesday, and praised Gibson for his work on the board while also showing support for the resolution honoring the former Director. 

At the meeting, current and former Directors, including U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, also lauded Gibson for his service and his long-view perspective on water policy. 

“You’re honoring a guy that’s very near and dear to me, and I think someone who will have a place in MMWD history, forever I hope – and that’s Jack Gibson, who’s just been so dedicated to the agency and its mission and the Watershed and everything else,” said Huffman, who served on the Marin Water Board of Directors from 1994-2006. 

Current Marin Water Board of Directors President Matt Samson echoed Huffman’s sentiments, saying Gibson’s 28 years of public service deserves recognition, and praising Gibson for his work documenting the history of Marin Water and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. 

“I think it needs to be reinforced that history will fade if it’s not captured and written down,” Samson said. “What you’ve done is allowed the folks that have moved to the county recently, given them an opportunity to learn … if you don’t know where you’re from, you don’t know where you’re going. All of your efforts are appreciated, and I just want to say thank you.” 

Gibson, an attorney and local historian, wrote, “Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Municipal Water District,” tapping into historical records to tell the story of our largest local water source – and the investments Marin Water has made to utilize and steward this source water. 

In Chapter 5, Gibson delves into the Pine Mountain Tunnel project, a generational investment to convey water from Alpine Lake to the Town of Fairfax. Built in 1918, the 8,700-foot tunnel was eventually converted to a water storage facility, a role it has now occupied for more than 50 years. Today, work is underway on another generational investment that will replace the tunnel’s storage capacity: the Gibson Tanks. The largest infrastructure project since Kent Lake was expanded in the early 1980s, the Gibson Tanks project will bolster the District’s water supply by improving seismic stability and water quality, boosting firefighting capabilities on the Mt. Tam Watershed and increasing water system capacity for Ross Valley. Learn more about the Pine Mountain Tanks Project by visiting marinwater.org/PMTTanks.