Bayside Facility

Water for future droughts

Groundwater can provide water during prolonged drought

The Bayside Facility was developed as a supplemental source of water supply to help protect EBMUD’s 1.4 million customers against severe water rationing in the event of a prolonged extreme drought or emergency. The permanent facility taps into local groundwater resources to supplement supply needs and will only be used in an extreme drought or during an emergency, when EBMUD is looking for any and all sources of supplemental water supply.

The Bayside Facility recharges this natural storage basin by adding water to the aquifer in wet years. EBMUD has not yet needed to extract from Bayside to meet potable water demands due to new supplemental supplies. Any new sources of water added into EBMUD’s system, including water from Bayside, will meet or exceed all State and Federal requirements.

EBMUD has a diversified water supply portfolio that includes evaluating groundwater to improve resiliency to changing climate and regulations. This portfolio also includes conservation, water recycling, and acquisition of other imported supplemental supplies.

Facility description

The Bayside Facility was constructed in 2009. Testing was completed at the end of the first year of operation of the Phase 1 facility. The facility can inject up to 1 million gallons a day (MGD) of surplus drinking water into the underground sand layers of the basin during wet years. During droughts, it can deliver an average of 1 million gallons a day (MGD) of water to EBMUD customers. All extracted water would be treated and tested to meet state and federal drinking water requirements. EBMUD continues to partner with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor that the Facility is geologically sound.

Planning began in 2001. The Environmental Impact Report was approved by the EBMUD Board of Directors in November 2005. The project's construction was completed in 2009.

Future Phases

After successfully operating the Facility for some time, EBMUD will consider development of a larger facility in the local area that would have a storage capacity of 2 to 10 MGD, providing even greater drought resilience. The larger facility development would first be subjected to the same environmental and public review as the first project, and EBMUD will review results of the groundwater monitoring system and "Extensometer", which measures minute changes in ground surface elevation.

The Bayside Groundwater Facility is but one of many ways EBMUD explores bringing greater water supply reliability to the District's ratepayers during drought, emergency, or for everyday needs.

Monitoring Data & Reports 

USGS Report on Extensometer (2015) 
https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ds890
 

USGS Extensometer & Piezometer Data
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/si