Welcome to the Bay Area Regional Desalination Project website.

Five of the Bay Area’s largest water agencies are working together to investigate a regional water supply project using desalination and water transfers to serve the needs of over 5.6 million residents and businesses in the region. The Contra Costa Water District (CCWD), the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) have collaborated in this effort since 2003 to determine whether they can jointly develop a water supply project and use existing infrastructure to share water across the region to meet long-term water needs. In 2010, Zone 7 Water Agency joined the group to evaluate this project.

The concept of a Bay Area Regional Desalination Project (BARDP) is to locate a 10-20 million gallons per day (mgd) desalination treatment facility at CCWD’s Mallard Slough Pump Station in eastern Contra Costa County to turn brackish water into a suitable water supply. Once treated, water could be delivered through either EBMUD or CCWD’s conveyance systems. Other participating agencies would receive water transfers from these agencies using existing pipelines and a new intertie for Zone 7 Water Agency that connect their water systems. Based on the demands of the agencies, water could also be stored at CCWD’s Los Vaqueros Reservoir to optimize the deliveries when and where the water is most needed. As envisioned, the BARDP would optimize use of existing infrastructure to lower environmental impacts and costs.

The agencies have recently completed a greenhouse gas study to better understand a regional project’s potential contribution to climate change. They have also conducted water quality modeling to gauge the impacts of taking brackish water from Mallard Slough and of brine disposal, as well as fisheries modeling to determine potential impacts on sensitive fish species. In addition, the agencies have been looking at how to maximize the efficient sharing of water by using storage. Finally, the agencies have been considering the physical limitations of transferring water through EBMUD’s existing facilities and pipelines to determine long-term project constraints. Preliminary results of these studies are in and the agencies will hold meetings to share this information with the public and seek feedback from the communities in the region.