EBMUD Ranger Virginia Northrop (left) and volunteers with Friends of Watershed work to keep Pinole Creek free of trash. From Watershed to Bay As Creek to Bay Day and Coastal Cleanup Day approach on September 16, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and partners along our watersheds, waterways and invite you to join us in taking action. Environmental protection starts right here at home in our beautiful East Bay!

WWW.EBMUD.COM/CLEANBAY A SPECIAL MARKETING PUBLICATION You. In a Watershed.

Volunteers with the Skyline Gardens Project work to restore the Skyline Trail area of the Oakland-.

VISIT EBMUD’S OPEN SPACE TRAILS AND ACCESS AND WATERSHEDS Enjoy expansive open space, wildlife-viewing opportunities, About 28,000 acres of watershed lands in the East Bay hiking and equestrian trails, and volunteer opportunities provide needed protection for high quality drinking along 80 miles of East Bay trails on our lands. Shimmering water, while offering habitat for plants and animals – lake views and streams, stately redwoods, colorful as well as a natural haven for the public to enjoy. wildflowers, wooded glens and open grasslands beckon. herever your feet land in the Utility District are stewards of the watersheds nature is right here in our backyards, and needs East Bay, you’re in a watershed that surround Briones, San Pablo, Upper San our help. Join a creek organization in your EBMUD’s watershed lands — largely protected from EXPLORE! Purchase a trail permit online at W — from the ridgelines and open Leandro, Chabot and Lafayette reservoirs, community and be a weekend environmental development and human disturbance — offer important EBMUD.com. $3.00/day or $10.00/1 year. space of the Oakland-Berkeley-San Leandro as well as the land of the Pinole Valley. warrior in the East Bay’s backyard. high quality habitat for a wide variety of plant and hills, to the creeks that meander through our animal species. These reservoirs also store high quality urban neighborhoods, to the waters of the San We’ve spent almost 100 years protecting Near every creek lies an urban watershed drinking water for 1.4 million East Bay residents. OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS Francisco Bay. These are the unique lands and these lands as a critical piece of our we call home. Whether off streets, or waterways that make the East Bay home. mission to deliver high quality drinking from sinks to sewers, every drop of East EBMUD biologists monitor fish, wildlife and plant Hands-on learning provides children experiences that water to you, and we welcome you to visit, Bay water flows to the Bay. Take action species on East Bay watershed lands, conducting habitat help them to better understand what it takes to protect The beauty around us deserves protection, explore, wander, learn and volunteer. at home to protect our precious Bay. assessments, population studies and other research to inform the environment, how natural systems function and and even in this urban metropolis you can management of sensitive species on the watershed. how our drinking-water supply relates to those systems. take part in keeping our watersheds and Bay From these lands flow creeks that drain to the Read on, and learn how you can protect the EBMUD rangers work with school-age children to enhance free from harm. We at the East Bay Municipal Bay. These natural pathways remind us that environment right here in the East Bay. habitats, stabilize soils, and restore natural conditions for creeks and disturbed areas in the East Bay. Contact EBMUD at [email protected] to find out more!

OPEN SPACE RESERVOIRS CREEKS HOMES STREETS SEWERS STORMDRAINS BUSINESSES WASTEWATER TREATMENT SAN FRANCISCO BAY

2 FROM WATERSHED TO BAY EBMUD.COM EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EBMUD.COM FROM WATERSHED TO BAY 3 n the hills of the East Bay, Briones, San Pablo, Upper San Leandro, Comprised of local government agencies, the Countywide and Chabot reservoirs hold drinking water for East Bay residents. Clean Water Program works to prevent pollution to waterways ILocal runoff from precipitation, along with supplies from the throughout Alameda County. Since its inception in 1991, the Mokelumne River, is stored in East Bay reservoirs before treatment program has been monitoring the health and water quality of the and delivery to customers, and to ensure local water supplies are county’s creeks, and has worked with the community to keep available in an emergency. In a year of normal precipitation, the East the water entering the storm drains as clean as possible. Bay gets 10 percent of our water supply from local watersheds. Litter is only one among many pollutants. Cars leak fl uids on Though managed for water supply, these reservoirs each provide the road, soapy water is dumped into the gutter, and rain washes water to creeks; some year-round and some only following prolonged garden chemicals off the lawn and into storm drains; it all adds heavy rainfall. And during rain events, each reservoir helps up to a signifi cant toxic injection into our local waterways. minimize high creek fl ows by collecting local watershed rainfall, and when needed, releasing that water downstream between Some simple practices are all that are needed to keep the East storms when local creeks have capacity to transport extra fl ow. Bay’s waterscapes beautiful and healthy, and to protect plants, birds, fi sh, insects and other wildlife that live there. Picking up after your dog, controlling pests with non-toxic alternatives HOW TRASH AND POLLUTANTS END and sweeping instead of hosing down your driveway are just UP IN OUR CREEKS AND BAY a few of the actions the Clean Water Program promotes.

Living in an urban environment, it’s easy to forget how closely During this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day, the Clean Water Program’s connected we are to our local creeks and the Bay. That is until focus is on litter, by encouraging residents to participate in large amounts of litter end up on our shorelines after a storm. cleanup events, raising awareness about the harm litter does Surprisingly, most of this debris originates inland on our streets. and how to prevent it. For more information and tips to keep our waterways clean visit www.CleanWaterProgram.org. Rains can wash plastic bags and cups, cigarette butts and other trash Reservoirs to Creeks off the streets and into storm drains. From there, the litter is carried directly into our creeks, wetlands and the Bay, without any treatment.

LOCAL PINOLE EL SOBRANTE RICHMOND BERKELEY - OAKLAND & Friends of Pinole Creek SPAWNERS — San Pablo The Skyline Gardens Project Friends of Sausal Creek Friends of San Watershed (FOPCW) Neighbors Education and The mission of the Watershed Project All-volunteer Friends of Five Creeks Skyline Gardens is a combination botanical For more than 20 years, the Friends of Leandro Creek WATERSHED Pinole Creek has a watershed of Restoration Society is to inspire Bay Area communities to has worked for the health of urban survey and restoration project in the Skyline Sausal Creek has worked to restore and The Friends of San Leandro Creek is a approximately 15 square miles and is some The mission of SPAWNERS is to protect understand, appreciate and protect our environments since 1996, supporting Trail area of the Oakland–Berkeley Hills. maintain the ecology and natural beauty community group made up of dedicated GROUPS of the best steelhead habitat in the Bay the Watershed and inspire local watersheds. Volunteer workdays healthy creeks, watersheds, and nature It’s the most botanically diverse area of of the Sausal Creek Watershed in central citizens, students, and businesses interested are every 2nd Saturday on the Richmond from Berkeley to Richmond. In year-round its size (about 250 acres) in the entire Oakland. A community-based volunteer Get connected! Many volunteer- Area. Stretching from the up community appreciation and stewardship in the protection and enhancement of into the Briones hills, it includes the City of Greenway, 10 am-1 pm. Please join us in work parties, we plant, weed, and remove East Bay. Nearly 250 native species have organization, we protect sensitive habitats, San Leandro Creek, and in learning more led groups work year-round to through advocacy, education, and habitat Pinole as well a large unincorporated area restoration. Volunteer work parties are our garden and enjoy being out in nature on trash, lead walks and fun citizen-science been identifi ed so far, with ten newly monitor water quality and wildlife, restore about the creek’s ecology. Meetings are protect local creeks and watershed upstream where predominant land uses held every 3rd Saturday in El Sobrante, the for our monthly events including mapping and monitoring. discovered this year. Sponsored by the creek banks and canyons, grow and plant the second Tuesday of every other month lands. They depend on dedicated are agriculture and open space. FOPCW 9:30 am-noon. Join us at one of our riparian Second Saturday event. We plant and tend We post our lively e-news, host speakers East Bay Chapter of the Native native plants, educate our neighbors in and are held from 7-8 p.m. Guest speakers East Bay residents like you. For works to keep that watershed healthy and habitat restoration sites to learn about to unique low impact design projects that at our fall-spring Bay Currents talk series, Plant Society in collaboration with EBMUD, environmental stewardship, and work with are often invited to our meetings. Join the opportunities and events, contact accessible. We hold community meetings native ecosystems, plant native plants, not only construct beautiful park landscapes and work with other groups to advocate for this ongoing, multi-year volunteer staffed agencies and other nonprofi ts to further Friends in learning about the San Leandro a group active in your backyard. twice a year and regular volunteer events remove invasive ones, and more! Location but also fi lter pollutants out of stormwater. nature that welcomes people and wildlife. project documents the native fl ora and improve the local ecosystem Creek Watershed! New faces are always to help improve the health of the creek changes monthly. The Watershed Project assists in hosting Learn more at www.FiveCreeks.org removes invasive plants to restore the full Learn more at www.SausalCreek.org welcome. and the habitat for local species. Typical many Coastal Cleanup Day events in native diversity of the area. Learn more at www.Spawners.org or contact [email protected]. or call 510-501-3672. Learn more at www.FSLC.org volunteer projects include creek cleanups, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. or contact Helen Fitanides, To learn more, contact or call 510-577-6069. habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, and [email protected]. Learn more at TheWatershedProject.org [email protected]. educational activities. or contact Paula White, Learn more at [email protected]. www.FriendsOfPinoleCreek.org.

OPEN SPACE RESERVOIRS CREEKS HOMES STREETS SEWERS STORMDRAINS BUSINESSES WASTEWATER TREATMENT SAN FRANCISCO BAY

4 FROM WATERSHED TO BAY EBMUD.COM EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EBMUD.COM FROM WATERSHED TO BAY 5 nder your feet in the East Treating wastewater is about moving Bay are two separate systems human waste away from people PRIVATE SEWER Uthat move rain water and and protecting public health. Stormwater. Wastewater. sewage away from your home or LATERALS Different pipes to protect you and the Bay business. EBMUD and the cities we serve are working together to ensure LEAKY PIPES: AND THE BAY these systems are maintained to WHAT HAPPENS In 2011, EBMUD partnered with the United protect you and San Francisco Bay. States Environmental Protection Agency WHEN IT RAINS? (EPA), the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the cities and sewer district Across the country, our critical in our wastewater service area to develop FLOOD infrastructure is aging, and the the Regional Private Sewer Lateral (PSL) PREVENTION East Bay is no different. Most of the Program. This program provides a framework sewer pipes in our community were for property owners to address leaky sewer Storm drains in streets are designed to installed just after World War II. As laterals. These pipes, which connect homes and businesses to the sewer collection carry rain directly to our local creeks. pipes age, cracks appear, particularly system, are owned and maintained by private Unlike sanitary sewage, stormwater here in earthquake country. property owners. The Regional PSL Ordinance fl ows are typically untreated. requires affected property owners to obtain Stormwater collection systems are When it rains, stormwater enters a certifi cate from EBMUD certifying that their meant to protect homes and businesses the sewer collection system through PSL is leak-free. Stopping rain from entering from fl ooding during rain events. these cracks. The resulting increase in the sewers during rainstorms is the best way fl ows can overwhelm the wastewater to protect the Bay and the public’s health. system and cause untreated or partially Check out eastbayPSL.com for more PUBLIC HEALTH treated wastewater to be released into information. PROTECTION the Bay. During some rain events, fl ows have increased by as much as When Does the PSL Sewers direct wastewater from 14 times that of dry weather fl ows. Ordinance Apply to Me? toilets, sinks, showers, and industries If you are to our wastewater treatment • buying or selling property plant. The treatment plant uses a KEEPING THE • building or remodeling in excess of $100,000 simple combination of screening, RAIN IN THE • changing the size of your water meter and gravity settling, microorganisms, DRAIN disinfection, and dechlorination • you are in one of these locations: Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, to clean wastewater and return it To reduce the amount of stormwater Piedmont, Kensington, El Cerrito, Richmond to the Bay. Learn more about the getting into the sewer system when Annex. treatment process on pages 10 and 11. it rains, we need to invest in and fi x the sewer pipes in your neighborhood In an HOA? streets, and we need property You are still subject to the PSL ordinance, and owners to fi x their leaky pipes. special provisions apply. Visit our website to fi nd out more.

Can I be proactive? Of course! Anyone can certify their PSL as leak-free. It’s a particularly good idea if you’ve had frequent sewer backups.

OPEN SPACE RESERVOIRS CREEKS HOMES STREETS SEWERS STORMDRAINS BUSINESSES WASTEWATER TREATMENT SAN FRANCISCO BAY

6 FROM WATERSHED TO BAY EBMUD.COM EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EBMUD.COM FROM WATERSHED TO BAY 7 SMART PRODUCT SELECTION — IT’S IN YOUR HANDS

Antibacterial and Antimicrobial Products Antibacterial ingredients are common in everyday products like hand soaps, dish and laundry soaps, toothpaste, and mouthwash. However, the American Medical Association reported there is “little evidence to support the use of antimicrobials in consumer products such as topical hand lotions and soaps.” Not only are they not helpful, but antibacterial products can actually harm benefi cial bacteria at wastewater treatment plants. Read labels and choose products without antibacterial ingredients.

Safe Cleaning Products Some cleaning products contain toxic compounds that can be harmful to you and the Bay, so it’s wise to use less-toxic alternatives, and when getting rid of old products, never pour A Clean Bay them down indoor or outdoor drains. Safe Flea Control for Pets Fipronil is a chemical insecticide present in many spot-on fl ea control products for pets. Although intended for pets, when those pets are washed, the Fipronil that goes down the drain ultimately makes its way to San Francisco Bay, where it’s toxic Begins With You to aquatic organisms. Talk to your veterinarian about oral fl ea medications that are safer alternatives to spot-on fl ea control products. Find more information at SFEI.org. astewater treatment plants are non-human wastes. Trash is not fl ushable: it Microplastics enter sewer systems through FATS, OILS, For more information visit EBMUD.com/CleanBay designed to handle only human clumps together in sewer systems and can clog drains and washing machines. Though some AND GREASE Wwaste. At EBMUD, our wastewater pipes in your home, as well as sewage pumps are removed in wastewater plant uses microorganisms to eat human and treatment equipment. If it is not toilet paper, treatment plants, some pass Cooking with fats, oils and grease, if washed waste and break it down. Our operators throw it in the trash to protect your toilet, through and pollute the San down the drain, can lead to sewage back-ups carefully balance wastewater fl ows, oxygen our pipes, and the treatment plants we all rely Francisco Bay. Wildlife can at your home, business, or in the community’s WE TAKE DRUGS SO THE and temperature to keep our microorganisms on to keep our San Francisco Bay healthy. mistake microplastics for sewer pipes and into San Francisco Bay. BAY DOESN’T HAVE TO happy, healthy, and busily chomping away. food, causing exposure to No one wants untreated sewage backing What you put down your toilet or drain pollutants within the plastics or up into homes, buildings, or streets! Wastewater treatment plants were not designed to remove can kill our microorganisms, upset plant EMERGING ISSUE: absorbed from their surroundings. pharmaceuticals. Flushing expired or unwanted medications operations, and impact the health of the Bay. MICROPLASTICS To reduce grease-related problems at home, down the toilet can harm San Francisco Bay. The best way EBMUD has partnered with the San Francisco compost cooking oil or grease or dispose of to safely get rid of your expired or unwanted medicines CONTAMINATION Estuary Institute (SFEI) and 5 Gyres Institute, large quantities at one of EBMUD’s residential is to discard them at a designated collection site. IN THE BAY which are conducting pioneering research WIPES CLOG PIPES: cooking oil and grease drop off locations. into this and other emerging issues. SFEI EBMUD provides free pharmaceutical disposal bins at Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic Find the one near you at EBMUD.com/Fog. Flush only the 3 P’s — poop, paper, and pee. is the science leader for monitoring the ten East Bay locations. Check EBMUD.com/CleanBay fi ve millimeters or smaller that can come health of the Bay. A better understanding of EBMUD also helps restaurants and for collection sites throughout the Bay Area.t from beauty products with microbeads, Despite marketing claims, “fl ushable” wipes microplastics in the Bay will lead to better other food facilities control grease synthetic clothing, plastic bags, polystyrene do not break down in water. Same with paper solutions to this complex challenge. For more — Email us at CleanBay@EBMUD. foam packaging, and disposable plastic items. towels, trash, condoms, tampons, and all other information, visit SFEI.org and 5Gyres.org. com for more information.

OPEN SPACE RESERVOIRS CREEKS HOMES STREETS SEWERS STORMDRAINS BUSINESSES WASTEWATER TREATMENT SAN FRANCISCO BAY

8 FROM WATERSHED TO BAY EBMUD.COM EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EBMUD.COM FROM WATERSHED TO BAY 9 TOILETS & DRAINS SETTLING CLARIFICATION DISINFECTION Smaller waste particles settle out from Biomass settles, leaving clear water Treated wastewater is WANT TO SEE IT wastewater in large sedimentation tanks. that’s almost ready for discharge. disinfected, dechlorinated and then discharged 1.2 miles off FOR YOURSELF? the East Bay shore through a deep water outfall into the Bay. TAKE A TOUR! TO SAN FRANCISCO BAY

WHAT’S THAT SMELL? That’s wastewater being SOLIDS treated and converted to energy MICROFILTRATION or clean water every day. Learn Microfilters provide additional more how we tackle odors and treatment so that a portion can aim to be a good neighbor be recycled. at EBMUD.com/Odor.

DIGESTION Large heated anaerobic digesters treat the SCREENING BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT settled solids to turn Wastewater is screened to remove large items Aided by pure oxygen, trillions of bacteria and them into energy and like tampons, wipes, and other items that other microorganisms consume carbon from fertilizer. shouldn’t have been flushed in the first place! the wastewater. Wastewater Treatment Protecting Public Health While Innovating for the Future

BMUD treats wastewater 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, waste, and water. Once separated, our digesters convert the solids Fertilizer Poop to Power Recycled Water 365 days a year — so you don’t have to worry. While many to energy and fertilizer, while the water is filtered, disinfected EBMUD applies 60,000 to 70,000 In 2012, EBMUD became the first Every day EBMUD turns millions of of us don’t think about (or perhaps would prefer not to and dechlorinated for reuse or return to San Francisco Bay. E wet tons per year of nutrient-rich wastewater treatment plant in gallons of wastewater into recycled think about) what happens when we flush the toilet, wastewater biosolids as a soil amendment to North America to produce more water. This recycled water is treatment is critical for protecting public health and maintaining At EBMUD, we don’t just treat wastewater, we innovate. We grow feed for animals. Biosolids renewable energy onsite than is transported through purple pipes our high quality of life in the East Bay. Since 1951, EBMUD’s strive to keep organics out of landfills and methane — a potent promote plant growth through needed to run the facility. We sell for use in irrigation or industry. Our wastewater treatment plant has protected the people of the East greenhouse gas — out of the atmosphere, and we’re leading the improving soil properties, supplying that excess renewable energy to the 2040 goal is to recycle nearly 7.3 Bay from water-borne diseases. Modern wastewater treatment way in using existing infrastructure to combat climate change. nutrients and replenishing soil , cutting fossil fuel billion gallons annually. That amount prevents diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid — and has Our innovations are being used as a model by other wastewater organic matter. That’s a great reuse use and greenhouse gas emissions, could save enough water to supply of your human waste! and providing savings for EBMUD the indoor and outdoor water needs increased average life expectancies by an estimated 20 years. treatment plants across the U.S. and around the world. We customers. Biogas production saves of more than 220,000 EBMUD continue to think toward the future and figure out new ways REGISTER AT EBMUD.COM/WWTP-TOURS EBMUD approximately $3 million residents every day. EBMUD’s wastewater plant uses mechanical and biological (our to turn our waste into resources right here in the East Bay. each year by reducing electric power friendly microorganisms!) processes to separate trash, solid human demand.

OPEN SPACE RESERVOIRS CREEKS HOMES STREETS SEWERS STORMDRAINS BUSINESSES WASTEWATER TREATMENT SAN FRANCISCO BAY

10 FROM WATERSHED TO BAY EBMUD.COM EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT EBMUD.COM FROM WATERSHED TO BAY 11 SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD is part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and our job is to protect and improve the quality of San Francisco Bay, creeks, wetlands, groundwater, and other natural water resources in the region. We issue permits for actions that have the potential to pollute these waters, enforce compliance with permit requirements, and investigate and require cleanup of polluted waters. We also work with the public and private partners to promote stewardship and collaborative efforts. Find more information and opportunities to participate at www.WaterBoards.ca.gov/SanFranciscoBay/.

Join us on SAVE October 7, 2017

THE BAY for our second annual Bay Day!

GET INVOLVED AT WWW.BAYDAY.ORG

Our lives and our communities are all connected to San Francisco Bay: Seven million Bay Area residents, 400 native species, our economy, and quality of life all counts on it. The future of our Bay depends on how we conserve and care for this natural resource — the economic and ecological heart of the Bay Area. Bay Day is one o cial day every year for us all to celebrate our beautiful Bay. Take part in a restoration event or nature program near you. Volunteer

Join youro neighborsakland to clean and green! Oakland’s creeks and shoreline! SEE POLLUTION IN THE BAY? CALL BAYKEEPER!

If you see a leaking pipe, illegal dumping, sewage or other pollution 22nd in SF Bay, report it to Baykeeper and we’ll investigate! Annual Report pollution to Saturday, September 16, 2017 1-800-KEEP-BAY, For accessibility information or to request disability related accommodations, contact [email protected], (510) 238-7611 or TTY (510) 238-3254. [email protected], or Baykeeper.org For locations and more information • Para más información • 欲知詳情 oaklandcreektobay.org ON THE CASE, ON THE WATER, ON YOUR SIDE. PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EAST BAY EXPRESS