East Bay Municipal Utility District director tells San Ramon council water supply is stable while infrastructure costs rise

Luz Gomez, director for Ward 2 on the East Bay Municipal Utility District board, told the San Ramon City Council on July 8 that the district’s water supplies are in good condition but that long-term reliability requires continued capital investment and expanded conservation and recycled-water programs.

Gomez said East Bay MUD serves about 1.4 million customers across Alameda and Contra Costa counties and that roughly 90% of its supply comes from the Mokelumne River watershed collected at Pardee and Camanche reservoirs. “We are very happy to say that we’re doing quite well,” she said, noting that Pardee was near 98% of average and Camanche above average for the year.

The presentation outlined the district’s portfolio approach to future drought and climate risk: increase recycled-water deliveries, expand groundwater banking, conserve more water and maintain partnerships that allow purchases in dry years. Gomez said EBMUD expects to increase recycled water to about 20 million gallons per day by 2050 (from roughly 8–9 million now) and to conserve an additional 70 million gallons per day by 2050.

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