OAKLAND — Sierra mountain water sweet to the palate is back on tap for 800,000 East Bay residents.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District reported Thursday that it has resumed piping drinking water from the Mokelumne River directly to customers in Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro and other communities west of the Oakland-Berkeley hills after supplying them for five months with reservoir water that doesn’t taste as good.
The temporary switch was necessary to accommodate a $22 million upgrade of the district’s largest water-treatment plant in Orinda, which treats water from the Sierra foothills and sends it to most customers. The plant was closed in November for construction, but it’s now back in operation, officials said.
While the reservoir water meets all health standards, it can pick up a slight off taste with exposure to sunlight, algae and local runoff, officials said.
“With the Sierra snow melt coming back to your tap, some customers may notice a change in the taste of their water,” said Lesa McIntosh, the water board president. “We hope customers will welcome the return of our pristine Mokelumne River source water.”