Mountain Water Again Flowing In EBMUD Taps

LAMORINDA, CA — Nearly 1 million East Bay water customers are once again drinking from Sierra Nevada sources after a months-long interruption caused by a treatment plant upgrade project, according to the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

The $22 million upgrade to the utility's Orinda Water Treatment Plant is nearly done but water from the Mokelumne River is already pouring out of taps for 800,000 customers west of the Oakland Hills, according to EBMUD officials.

Those customers had relied on local water sources since last fall when the project began, EBMUD said. "It was complex and challenging to rebuild this key facility, but over the long-term we will reduce maintenance costs and the need for future service outages," said EBMUD Board President Lesa McIntosh.

The project included the installation of new backup power systems, "upgraded water treatment processes and improved treatment configurations," among other things, according to EBMUD.

During the project, customers in the affected areas received water from the San Pablo, Sobrante and Upper San Leandro water treatment plants.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock