Contra Costa infrastructure project aims to keep drinking water safe
As the Bay Area’s drinking water is increasingly clouded with particles from wildfires, atmospheric rivers, algae blooms and chemical contaminants, the East Bay’s largest water district is set to undertake the most ambitious infrastructure project in the region to try to keep it clean. The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) is tackling nearly $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades to help safeguard 1.4 million residents’ drinking water supply. Officials hope to transform the way it treats the Mokelumne River Watershed that feeds the Pardee and Briones reservoirs. One of the biggest projects began in fall 2021, when the 101-year-old agency began conceptualizing a $420 million plan to add new pretreatment facilities at its Walnut Creek Water Treatment Plant — and smaller upgrades to the Lafayette plant nearby — to speed up how quickly EBMUD can filter out the dirt, microorganisms, algae, chemicals and other particles that are swept into drinking water, 90% of which is sourced from Sierra Nevada snowmelt.