This year, EBMUD celebrates 100 years of service to the people of the East Bay. For a century, we have provided clean, reliable water at the turn of the faucet, managed natural resources, and protected the environment.
We take pride in knowing our work is essential to public health, supports economic prosperity, and helps our community thrive.
We hope you do too. After all, EBMUD wouldn’t be what it is without you.
In 1923, East Bay residents voted to form the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Frustrated by decades of poor and unreliable local water supplies, they mobilized to create a public water system to replace 18 private companies that struggled to provide sufficient water for a burgeoning region.
EBMUD set out to capture snowmelt and rain from the High Sierra watershed of the Mokelumne River. Determined engineers and hardworking laborers built Pardee Dam – the highest in the United States at the time – and constructed an aqueduct to bring high-quality water 91 miles to the East Bay. We didn’t stop there.
When rapid growth polluted the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay with sewage in the 1940s, residents turned to EBMUD and funded construction of our waste-water treatment plant that protects the bay environment and public health.
Faced with recurring droughts, we’ve collectively stepped up to conserve water while diversifying supplies and recycling wastewater.
Through earthquakes, fires, a pandemic, and climate change impacts, EBMUD’s commitment to serve – affordably and reliably – remains as steadfast as ever.
This 100-year milestone is a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together. Together we’ll take on what’s next.
Join the celebration at ebmud.com/centennial.