East Bay Municipal Utility District diverting water from Sacramento River in California
4/23/2014 4:32:31 PM
CATEGORIES:
Relief, Response & Restrictions
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Alameda County, CA
Contra Costa County, CA
Sacramento County, CA
Start Date: 4/22/2014
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Water from the Sacramento River began pouring into San Pablo Reservoir on May 1.
San Jose Mercury News (Calif.), April 30, 2014
The East Bay Municipal Utility District’s board of directors all voted in favor of diverting water from the Freeport Regional Water Project on the Sacramento River for its customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. EBMUD usually gets most of its water from its own reservoir and pipeline system on the Mokelumne River, but snowmelt in the river’s watershed was predicted to fall below 500,000 acre-feet, at which point EBMUD may use the separate diversion pumps at Freeport.
EBMUD intends to withdraw 16,000 acre-feet in May and June at a cost of about $8 million. The district has an annual diversion limit of 133,000 acre-feet or 165,000 acre-feet in a three year period.
Sacramento County has also been using some of its diversion capacity at Freeport to meet its water demand.
Sacramento Bee (Calif.), April 22, 2014
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