[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 9, 2023

  Mr. SWALWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the East Bay Municipal 
Utility District, hereinafter EBMUD or ``The District'', which 
celebrate 100 years of operation on Monday, May 8, 2023.
  EBMUD was initiated on May 8, 1923, by seven cities in the East Bay 
Area under the California Municipal Utility District Act to build, 
operate, and manage the infrastructure providing the region with a 
reliable water supply from the Sierra Mountains. The District built the 
Pardee Dam and the Moeklurnne Aqueduct in 1929 and began delivering 
drinking water to its 460,000 customers.
  In 1944, EBMUD expanded its services to include wastewater treatment, 
establishing Special District One to protect public health and the San 
Francisco Bay. EBMUD continued to expand its infrastructure, building 
two additional aqueducts and three reservoirs in the 1950s and 1960s.
  Working to create regional solutions to water supply security, EBMUD 
partnered with the Sacramento County Water Agency to create the 
Freeport Regional Water Project to meet the water needs of a growing 
Sacramento and as a supplemental water source for the East Bay 
community in dry years. The District remains a leading advocate for 
water safety by removing all known lead services from its systems in 
the 1990s, well before the issue was garnering national attention. 
Recognizing the detrimental impacts of lead, EBMUD sponsored 
California's ``Get Lead Out'' legislation which became state law in 
2006 and advocated for the ``Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act,'' 
which became law in 2011.
  Today, EBMUD serves 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa 
Counties. The District operates and maintains the Pardee and Camanche 
Reservoirs, 4,200 miles of pipelines from the Sierra Foothills, five 
East Bay reservoirs, and hundreds of operating facilities. The District 
remains committed to sustainable water use, water recycling, renewable 
energy, and establishing watershed master plans that take into account 
biodiversity and recreational use. EBMUD was also the first wastewater 
agency in North America to produce more renewable energy than it uses 
through methane gas capture from waste treatment processing.
  For 100 years, EBMUD has provided a vital service to East Bay 
residents. I join EBMUD, its customers, and the greater San Francisco 
Bay Area in celebrating its centennial celebration and wish it many 
more productive years to come.

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