East Bay Reservoirs Full After Winter Storms

East Bay Municipal Utility District reservoirs are full after heavy rains this winter, one of the wettest in years. Utility crews are now turning their attention to managing the impact of all the water on watersheds, water storage facilities and wastewater operations.

The water season began Oct. 1 and that month and January have been the wettest on record, district officials said. That's filled the utility district's Pardee Reservoir and the district's East Bay reservoirs. But the large amount of water has brought different challenges to district crews.

"We've been frankly relieved to have such an incredible first half of the rainy season," EBMUD board president Lesa McIntosh said in a statement.

Now crews are focused on controlling releases from reservoirs, managing a landslide adjacent to the Briones Aqueduct and dealing with water entering the wastewater system, McIntosh said. Crews identified a landslide adjacent to the Briones Aqueduct, on San Pablo Creek, following wet weather the week of Jan. 9.

Crews made necessary repairs to protect the aqueduct, which is a critical water pipeline that delivers drinking water to area water treatment plants. Separately, crews are now releasing water to control water levels
in reservoirs including the San Pablo Reservoir, Upper San Leandro Reservoir and Chabot Reservoir.

Additional releases from area reservoirs may be made between winter storms when creeks can absorb the runoff, utility district officials said. The utility district brings drinking water to 1.4 million East Bay
customers.

By Bay City News

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