East Bay Watershed Master Plan

Briones Reservoir covers 725 acres in Contra Costa County and is owned and operated by EBMUD for raw water storage.

Briones Reservoir covers 725 acres in Contra Costa County and is owned and operated by EBMUD for raw water storage.

Maintaining and protecting our watershed

About 29,000 acres of watershed lands in the East Bay provide needed protection for EBMUD’s high quality drinking water, while offering habitat for plants and animals – as well as a natural haven for the public to enjoy. These lands surround five reservoirs (Briones, San Pablo, Upper San Leandro, Chabot and Lafayette) and one basin that does not contain a reservoir (Pinole Valley).

The updated plan proposes changes to address issues that have arisen since the first plan was adopted in 1996, such as climate change, invasive mussels and toxic algae. It also incorporates plans for habitat conservation, grazing and fire protection, and proposes changes to allow access to specific watershed trails by cyclists. In addition, changes to the master plan seek to reduce the use of pesticides on the watershed.

East Bay Watershed Master Plan Update 

On May 22, 2018, the EBMUD Board of Directors approved the update to the East Bay Watershed Plan, adopted the Negative Declaration and made findings related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In addition, responses to public comments on the December 15, 2017 draft of the Initial Study/Negative Declaration are summarized in Appendix A. Appendix B includes the EBWMP Update. Other supporting documents are also provided below.