EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT 2020 for January through December EBMUD is pleased to report that in 2020 your drinking water quality met or surpassed every state and federal requirement that safeguards public health. Sunrise at Upper San Leandro Water Treatment Plant Lake Tahoe EBMUD SERVICE AREA Alpine County Sacramento Crockett SAN PABLO BAY Davis Freeport Regional Water Facility Drought water supply Rodeo Mokelumne River Amador County Watershed 4 Vacaville Hercules Pardee Pinole Reservoir L Main water supply ow El Sobrante e er r iv M R 80 Sacramento — ok ne Sobrante WTP EBMUD San Joaquin Delta elu m San Pablo SERVICE AREA Calaveras County Pleasant San Pablo Hill Yosemite Richmond Reservoir National Briones Mokelumne Aqueducts 580 Reservoir 680 Stockton Park El Cerrito Lafayette WTP Kensington Mokelumne Albany Aqueducts Walnut Creek WTP Three 90-mile-long San Pablo WTP* water supply pipelines Orinda WTP Lafayette Reservoir Berkeley 24 Moraga Alamo S 24 A Emeryville N 13 680 F 80 Piedmont R 880 980 Danville A 580 SF N FROM SNOWFLAKE TO THE BAY surveys were completed in 2021 and include data for 2015 to C Oakland Upper I San Leandro 2019 for the Mokelumne River watershed and 2015 to 2018 for the S The water flowing out of the taps of 1.4 million East Bay East Bay watersheds. The water quality surveys evaluate sanitary C Alameda Reservoir customers originates almost entirely from the 577-square mile conditions, results of watershed management activities, and O San Mokelumne River watershed on the western slope of the Sierra identify potential contamination sources that may affect the Ramon B Nevada. This area consists mostly of national forest, EBMUD- watersheds. Potential contaminant sources include runoff from fire A Upper San Leandro WTP owned lands, and other undeveloped lands little affected by and fuels management, geologic hazards, erosion, wildlife and Y human activity. This is where our high quality water begins. livestock, sanitation facilities, recreation, urban storm water, and 580 Chabot Reservoir 680 transportation corridors. Ongoing efforts to identify and protect Snowmelt from Alpine, Amador, and Calaveras counties flows the source waters from all potential contaminating activities are Area served by 880 into Pardee Reservoir near Valley Springs. Three large aqueducts an integral part of EBMUD’s water quality management. To review these reports, contact EBMUD or the State Water Resources Orinda WTP Castro transport water 90 miles from Pardee Reservoir to our service Crockett 580 area and then to every customer, hydrant, and fire service Control Board. San Leandro Valley Rodeo through EBMUD’s water distribution system. During drought or Hercules During times of high demand, PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH ONE DROP AT A TIME San Lorenzo for operational needs, EBMUD may draw water from local Pinole also served as maintenance, or for other watersheds in the East Bay or purchase water from other Before reaching your tap, all water is treated to high standards at El Sobrante needed by operational needs, regions shown EBMUD’s water treatment plants which filter and disinfect water for in more than one color or pattern Hayward watersheds like the Sacramento River – and customers may Sobrante WTP San Pablo may be served from a different notice a change in the taste. Because we have multiple sources, 1.4 million customers daily. EBMUD ensures high water quality by Richmond treatment plant drawing from a we’re much more resilient. carefully managing and protecting watershed lands and reservoirs, El Cerrito different source reservoir. using best practices to treat drinking water, operating and Kensington EBMUD’s skilled employees operate a complex network of maintaining an intricate distribution system, and by quickly addressing customer questions or concerns. Orinda Area served by Water treatment Area Primary reservoirs, pipes, pumps, and water treatment plants. This Moraga Walnut Creek WTP plant (WTP) served reservoir infrastructure is rarely seen, but it works around the clock to EBMUD samples and tests your water extensively to ensure it is safe Piedmont provide safe, reliable drinking water every day. Orinda Walnut Creek Pardee to drink. We monitor for the presence of more than 100 substances Oakland including microorganisms, pesticides, herbicides, asbestos, lead, also served as Moraga also served as Lafayette Pardee Alameda SOURCE WATER PROTECTION copper, petroleum products, and by-products of industrial and needed by Lafayette needed by Orinda Pardee, Briones San Leandro water treatment processes. More than 20,000 laboratory tests each Upper San Pleasant Hill Lafayette WTP EBMUD evaluates our water sources to ensure great water quality. San Lorenzo Leandro WTP Sobrante San Pablo year ensure the safety of your drinking water. Walnut Creek We conduct assessments for the Mokelumne River watershed and Castro Valley Upper San Leandro Upper San Leandro East Bay watersheds at least every five years. The most recent Alamo Hayward * San Pablo WTP is a standby plant and was not in operation during 2020 Albany Danville Berkeley San Ramon Year-round WTPs Seasonal WTPs Emeryville Castro Valley 3 WHERE YOUR WATER IS TREATED Table 1 – Regulated for public health ESSENTIAL SERVICES DURING A PANDEMIC Before reaching your tap, EBMUD treats the water at one of our These contaminants are regulated to protect your health. They EBMUD has remained on the job throughout the coronavirus water treatment plants in the East Bay. Some customers receive have maximum contaminant levels, known as primary MCLs, set pandemic and took actions to keep the water flowing for our water from different treatment plants depending on the time of by the State Water Board or the USEPA. These levels are set as close customers and to protect our essential workers. Though more year. The taste and odor of your tap water may change throughout to the established public health goals as is economically and than half of EBMUD staff sheltered at home to help prevent the year because of operational changes (such as when a treatment technologically feasible transmission of the virus, many EBMUD employees worked plant is shut down for maintenance) or due to changes in the continuously to repair, maintain, and replace our critical source water. Table 2 – Regulated for drinking water aesthetics infrastructure and treat water and wastewater to high These contaminants are regulated to maintain aesthetic qualities These water treatment plant locations are shown on the map standards. When hand sanitizer and masks were in short such as smell, taste, and appearance of drinking water. They have on page 2. supply, EBMUD manufactured hand sanitizer for employees maximum contaminant levels, also known as secondary MCLs, and disinfected masks for reuse, later becoming a regional set by the State Water Board. clearinghouse for 75,000 reusable masks from FEMA/EPA for WHAT WAS DETECTED AND REPORTED other water and wastewater agencies in northern California. In 2020, EBMUD treated raw water from multiple sources and Table 3 – Unregulated contaminants For indispensable jobs, such as Water Treatment Plant consistently provided high-quality drinking water, meeting or These contaminants are not currently regulated. Unregulated Operators, EBMUD created new protocols to minimize health surpassing every public health requirement set by the State Water contaminant monitoring helps the State Water Board and the USEPA risks by implementing shift rotations and minimizing access Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and the U.S. determine where certain contaminants are present and whether the by others inside sensitive facilities. We modified our sampling Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). practices to allow employees to work safely. In offices, plastic contaminants need to be regulated in the future. The results under guards and partitions were installed, and workflows were The tables on the following pages show the measured amounts the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule part 4 (UCMR4) must altered to provide for electronic signatures and digital of contaminants detected in 2020 or in the most recent year be reported if detected. This table also includes other contaminants communications, significantly reducing our use of paper. sampling was required. Samples were collected in EBMUD’s source that have state notification levels and water agencies are EBMUD provided access to rapid COVID-19 tests for staff for waters, at water treatment plants, in the distribution system, and encouraged—but not required—to report results to consumers. whom distancing at work is difficult – such as plumbers at customer taps. working in close quarters when making pipe repairs. EBMUD Table 4 – Other parameters of interest to customers also became a leader in sampling wastewater for the presence Although EBMUD tests for more than 100 substances, this report These water measurements, such as pH, hardness and alkalinity, of COVID-19 to aid local and state officials in their decisions only lists those detected at or above the state or federal level may be of interest to customers. about pandemic response efforts. required for reporting. In this case, no news is good news! HOW TO READ THE WATER QUALITY TABLE Find your location on the map on page 2. Note which water treatment plant(s) serve that area. 1 Go to the first column in the tables on pages 6–8 to find the 4 Column four lists the average amount detected across contaminant you are interested in. Remember – no news is the EBMUD service area or at designated locations. good news! 5 Find the column that corresponds to the water 2 Column two lists the state or federal goal. At that amount or lower, treatment plant or plants that serve you. This is the range there is no known or expected risk to health from the contami- of concentration of the contaminant detected in your nant’s presence in drinking water. Not all listed contaminants have area’s water. state or federal goals. 6 The last column lists how the contaminant typically gets 3 Column three notes the highest amount the State Water Board or into your drinking water.