Eucalyptus trees are magnificent and picturesque, but they are inherently dangerous and invasive, depriving native plants of the chance to thrive wherever they grow. In some cases, exotic plants can co-exist with natives, but, in the case of blue gum eucalyptus, this is not the case. The species has evolved in the extraordinarily harsh, dry […]
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Posted inCity
Proposed 130% sewer fee rate increase now up to voters
The city of Berkeley has extensive, EPA-mandated, sewer system maintenance planned over the next 12 years. Photo: City of Berkeley Berkeley officials approved a five-year sewer fee rate hike Tuesday night, and now it’s up to property owners to determine whether it will stick. One thousand gallons of water currently costs about $4 to use in Berkeley for the average […]
Posted inNature
City, already cutting, digs deeper to slash its water use
The grass in Willard Park might not look as green this year given irrigation cutbacks being implemented by the city in response to drought conditions. Photo, taken in August 2014, by Natalie Orenstein The grass in Willard Park might not look as green this year given irrigation cutbacks being implemented by the city in response to drought […]
Posted inNature
Water conservation gets serious with restrictions, fines
EBMUD employee Mark Bolton at the dried-out Camanche Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley. Photo: EBMUD Hosing down your driveway, watering your yard more than twice a week, or washing your car with a hose without a shutoff nozzle are forbidden in Berkeley, as the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) faces its worst water […]
Posted inCity, Nature
Berkeley residents complain about ‘horrible’ water taste
Pardee Reservoir. Photo: EBMUD The drinking water for 1 million customers of East Bay Municipal Utilities District had an “off” odor and taste over the weekend and, while EBMUD is fixing the issue, customers might have to get used to it. The culprit? The drought. EBMUD usually draws the drinking water for the majority of its […]
Posted inCity
EPA settlement calls for repairs to East Bay’s faulty sewage lines; Berkeley to pay $133,500 civil penalty
Berkeley and other East Bay cities have reached a settlement with the EPA to upgrade their sewer lines, which should prevent raw sewage from spilling into the bay during storms. Photo: dogefrost The recent settlement of a lawsuit between the Environmental Protection Agency and several cities, including Berkeley, will lead to major repairs of the East […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety, Nature
Old pipe breaks, closes Grant Street in Berkeley; 40 customers without water
Bancroft Way at Grant Street at 11 a.m. after a water main break. Photo: Kelly Dorsey Dozens of central Berkeley residents around Grant Street and Bancroft Way have been dealing with a water main break since Friday morning. Grant has been closed from Allston Way to Bancroft as crews work to fix the problem. Some lanes may be […]
Posted inCity, Schools
Berkeley installs first permeable pavers downtown
The construction site on Allston Way. Photo: Charles Siler Traffic may be rough come school season, but the construction project closing Allston Way outside Berkeley High School is significant: the city’s first major permeable pavement installation. The block of Allston between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street in downtown Berkeley is shut down for construction until mid-November while […]
Posted inCity, Nature
New drought rules would see Berkeley reduce its water use
A Downtown Berkeley Association employee powerwashes the sidewalk at the corner of Shattuck and Center. Photo: Isabelle Gaston This week the state Water Resources Control Board will consider emergency restrictions on water use that would require the city of Berkeley to impose fines for certain types of outdoor water use. If approved, the Water Board’s drought measures would require […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Steps we can take towards long-term drought solutions
“When it comes to drought, California has a tendency to stick its head in the sand until it’s almost too late.” Photo: Bert Kaufmann “When it comes to drought, California has a tendency to stick its head in the sand until it’s almost too late.” Photo: Bert Kaufmann Many of us waited for months for […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Berkeley streets flooded after water main breaks
Flooding on Parker Street near Longfellow School. Photo: Mark Coplan Authorities responded to significant flooding in the area of California and Parker streets in Berkeley on Friday afternoon after what has been reported to be a water main breakage. Crews from EBMUD and the Berkeley Fire Department were on scene from around 5 p.m. working […]
Posted inNature
EBMUD asks East Bay customers to cut water use by 10%
Recent storms provided 7 inches of rain for EBMUD, but the utility still only has about half the average precipitation it counts on. Photo: Pete Rosos In one of the driest years ever, EBMUD is asking East Bay residents to stretch water supplies and cut their usage by 10%. Without enough rain, the utility may still have […]
