Sacramento River Water Supply

EBMUD relies on melting snows flowing into the Mokelumne River watershed in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to refill District reservoirs. In dry years, EBMUD may tap the Sacramento River via the Freeport Regional Water Project to supplement our main water source.    

In 2014, for the first time, EBMUD sourced Sacramento River water supplies to protect residents and businesses from further cutbacks.

On April 22, 2014, the EBMUD Board of Directors approved the purchase of 16,000 acre-feet of Sacramento River water to make up the water needed to serve customers through the summer. That’s enough water to fill the Oakland Coliseum 24 times.

The water was delivered through the Freeport Regional Water Project, located south of Sacramento on the Sacramento River. This set of facilities, completed in 2011, is the result of a cooperative effort between the Sacramento County Water Agency and EBMUD and provides drinking water for customers of both agencies. During dry years only, EBMUD may complement its aggressive water conservation program by using Sacramento River water via the Freeport Regional Water Project water -- up to 100 million gallons of water per day.

The Sacramento County Water Agency supplies water to approximately 35,000 customers in the central part of Sacramento County. Sacramento County Water has historically relied on groundwater to supply drinking water to its customers. With the Freeport Regional Water Project in operation, the agency can supplement groundwater use with up to 85 million gallons of water per day of surface water supplied by the Freeport Project to minimize the effects on the groundwater table in central Sacramento County.