Bayside Groundwater Project
The Bayside Groundwater Project is a supplemental water supply project that will help protect EBMUD’s 1.3 million water customers against severe rationing in the event of a prolonged drought. The idea is simply to store water in a deep underground aquifer during wet years and to extract some of that supply during times of drought.
The aquifers far beneath San Leandro and San Lorenzo were chosen as project sites after a great deal of exploration throughout the area. Since the early 1900s, these aquifers have provided drinking water for many East Bay residents.
The Bayside Groundwater Project, to begin operation in 2008 at the completion of environmental review, public comment, Board approval and a one-year construction period, will store an annual average of 1 million gallons a day (MGD) of water in the groundwater aquifer during wet years and withdraw an equal annual amount during years of drought to reduce the water rationing impacts to our customers during a drought.
After successfully operating this project for some time, EBMUD will consider a larger project in the area that would have a capacity of between 2 and 10 MGD, allowing for even greater drought protection. Before the larger project would be undertaken, EBMUD would first have to complete a separate environmental impact report with its associated public review, similar to this initial 1 MGD effort.
The Bayside Groundwater Project is one of many ways EBMUD is bringing greater water supply reliability to the District’s ratepayers during times of drought and emergency.
Please view the Final Environmental Impact Report for a detailed project description, including timelines and responses to public comment.
For more information on this project, please contact the Water Supply Improvements Division at (510) 287-6112.