Drought affects our services in more ways than just the water supply. Dry periods increase the threat of fire in our watersheds surrounding and protecting our reservoirs. Monterey pine trees on our watershed lands in the East Bay and the Sierra foothills are dying, leading EBMUD to escalate our efforts to remove dry vegetation that can contribute to fuel load during a fire.
EBMUD has been reducing fuel and mitigating wildfire for over 40 years. We partner with local and state agencies, cities, and fire districts to coordinate efforts and share resources. Year round we remove vegetation by hand, mow, remove trees, conduct prescribed burns, release animals to graze on dry vegetation and create fuel breaks. We limit this work seasonally to avoid areas and times when birds nest, including our local eagle population. We’re asking visitors to care for these lands as we do and never use fire on the watershed.