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The East Bay Municipal Utility District Board of Directors is set to consider officially declaring a Stage 1 drought at its meeting Tuesday.
Staff members from the utility provider will present its 2021 Water Supply Availability and Deficiency Report and recommend the board establish a district-wide voluntary water use reduction of 10%. EBMUD is the potable water provider for most of the San Ramon Valley.
Under that scenario, the district would also purchase supplemental water from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project. Most of EBMUD’s water comes from Sierra snowmelt above the Mokelumne River.
The board will also consider tapping Sacramento River water through the Freeport Regional Water Project, which it’s done during previous droughts. The Freeport facility is a joint EBMUD project with the Sacramento County Water Agency.
A summary of the latest WSDAR report says EBMUD’s “water supply is not sufficient for meeting customer demands and storage targets after meeting flow obligations in the Lower Mokelumne River.”
Through April 18, “Mokelumne precipitation” was at 54% of average, according to the report, which also said East Bay precipitation was at 33% of normal. Statewide, rainfall numbers are at 34%, the lowest since 1977.
As of April 18, EBMUD storage facilities were at 69% capacity. Pardee is the healthiest, at 89% of capacity, followed by Camanche at 56%. The East Bay supply is at 69% capacity, according to the report.
It also says the Northern Sierra/Trinity snowpack was at 36% of normal on April 19, with the Central Sierra at 42%. The Southern Sierra was at 18% of normal.
If the plan is implemented, starting May 1, EBMUD will begin informing customers about drought conditions and ways to reduce water use through available platforms. The district will also educate and inform about preparing for drought and implementing conservation measures for more efficient use indoors and outdoors.
Tuesday’s virtual public meeting of EBMUD’s board of directors begins at 1:15 p.m. and can be found at https://bit.ly/3dMh2yJ, webinar ID 970 6508 6667 and passcode 238500. Or call 669-900-6833.
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EBMUD needs to start looking at building another water storage site. If we continue to build houses, because we have a housing shortage, we need additional water. No one seems to be concerned about this issue, they just continue to build housing.