August 14, 2025
EBMUD extends innovation partnership with the UC Berkeley Center for Smart Infrastructure
$2.8 million will fund 10 new projects to improve water system resilience
OAKLAND - UC Berkeley and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) announce a second-phase collaboration agreement to tackle infrastructure and operational challenges facing water and wastewater utilities. The Phase 2 funding of $2.8 million will build on the accomplishments of EBMUD’s initial funding, granted in 2021, to establish the university’s Center for Smart Infrastructure (CSI) and develop solutions for aging systems confronting natural hazards such as earthquakes and the impacts of climate change.
Phase 2 will fund 10 new research projects designed to test and evaluate emerging technologies related to materials and infrastructure performance, remote sensing and monitoring, and predictive modeling and risk assessment. The collective work will not only enhance EBMUD’s infrastructure resilience, improve efficiencies, and help ensure long-term water system reliability, but also benefit the entire water and wastewater industry.
Project examples include the testing of mortar linings to extend the design life of aqueducts and reduce pipeline maintenance costs; the development of improved seismic monitoring and inspection methods for earthen dams; and experimentation with devices that would better pinpoint cracks in underground wastewater pipelines.
“We are fortunate to have a partner like UC Berkeley in our service area,” said EBMUD General Manager Clifford Chan. “EBMUD’s work with the Center for Smart Infrastructure allows us to tackle real-world problems using innovative solutions so we can fulfill our mission to reliably serve our community. We are strengthening our essential water and wastewater systems and developing knowledge that can also benefit other utilities as we face emerging challenges.”
The new projects will involve partnerships with UC Berkeley researchers, EBMUD staff, and manufacturers, as well as other agencies including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“We look forward to expanding our research collaboration with other agencies and infrastructure managers as we continue to address the issues of aging systems and natural hazards,” said Kenichi Soga, UC Berkeley professor of civil and environmental engineering and founding director of CSI.
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The East Bay Municipal Utility District has a proud history of providing high-quality drinkingwater for 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. EBMUD’s wastewatersystem serves 740,000 customers and helps protect the ecosystem of San Francisco Bay. EBMUD is a not-for-profit public agency established in 1923.
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The Center for Smart Infrastructure (CSI) is an interdisciplinary hub for infrastructure research and innovation to address the most pressing and challenging issues facing infrastructure systems, operators, and communities. CSI develops and tests emerging technologies such as intelligent systems and networks, remote sensing and monitoring, and data analytics for decision-making. It houses a large-scale testing facility to develop intelligent infrastructure system components and test and assess smart construction and maintenance methods using remote monitoring and robotics technologies. The center also has a computer simulation and data analytics facility to examine the resiliency of infrastructure systems in terms of aging, energy management, climate change and cascading failures using the state-of-the art big data and AI tools. Find out more at https://smartinfrastructure.berkeley.edu.