EBMUD to debate 15% voluntary cutback, new customer surcharge

With the prospect of the statewide drought continuing into next year, the San Ramon Valley’s main water supplier is set to consider calling for higher voluntary conservation, purchasing federal water and approving a new 14% surcharge on customers Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 9).

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) — which provides potable water for Danville, parts of San Ramon, and unincorporated communities of Alamo, Blackhawk and Diablo — said its customers have reduced their water usage by 12.6% as of Nov. 30, but more is needed in 2015.

The EBMUD Board of Directors will debate during its meeting Tuesday in Oakland whether to ask its customers for a 15% voluntary reduction effective Jan. 1, an increase of 5% compared to the voluntary cutback the agency requested in early 2014.

“This is our third dry year in a row. Our customers’ ongoing conservation before and during this drought is one reason why we have not had to ask for harsh cutbacks,” board president Andy Katz said in a statement.

“We do expect some more rain this winter, but possibly not enough,” Katz added. “It is prudent to prepare to ask our customers to cut back a little more in case our reservoirs don’t refill this winter and the drought continues.”

A 15% reduction would result in the average EBMUD household using 37 fewer gallons per day, according to agency officials.

Wet weather during the past few weeks has helped the water supply some, but the agency’s primary water sources — Mokelumne River reservoirs in Amador and Calaveras counties — remain about half full, according to EBMUD officials.

“Recent storms are helping, but water supply is about more than rain. It’s about the timing of storms, temperatures and how long snow stays on the ground before it melts,” EBMUD general manager Alexander Coate said. “We will need at least the average level of precipitation this winter and spring to be in better shape than we were this past year.”

With the 2015 supply at the forefront for EBMUD, the board is also set to consider Tuesday whether to support purchasing water from the Sacramento River through its federal Central Valley Project contract and implement a monthly surcharge on customers to pay for the acquisition, treatment and delivery of the federal water.

Staff recommends EBMUD purchase 16,000 acre-feet of water starting in January to refill local reservoirs and consider buying up to another 19,000 acre-feet in March.

EBMUD purchased about 18,600 acre feet of water from the federal project last April, paying for it with proceeds from a property sale and budget savings.

This time around, agency staff recommends recouping the cost of the purchase and treatment — estimated at up to $16 million — via a 14% surcharge on all customer water-use charges. If implemented, typical residential customers could see their bill increase by an average of $4.30 per month, depending on their level of conservation, according to EBMUD officials.

Should the drought persist into next year, EBMUD said it could move forward with plans for mandatory cutbacks, drought surcharges and penalties for excessive use next summer.

This past rain year was the fifth driest on record, and during that period, EBMUD reservoirs received one-third their normal runoff, according to the agency.

“After all they’ve done, asking our customers to save more and pay more is a tough call to make, but we are fortunate to have options other water agencies don’t have,” Coate said. “If the weather improves, we can always scale back our response.”

The open-session board meeting is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. at the EBMUD Administration Building, 375 11th St. in Oakland.