Amador County – Last week, the East Bay Municipal Utility District board of directors voted 7-0 to finalize its District Water Supply Management Plan 2040, which did not include an earlier plan to expand Pardee Reservoir in Amador County.

Opponents of the expansion announced the vote in a joint release, saying “the expansion would have destroyed at least a mile of the Mokelumne River.”

The original 2040 plan adopted in 2009 was challenged in court by Foothill Conservancy, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Friends of the River. A resulting court order required East Bay Municipal to conduct further environmental review and consider participating in an expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County. The revised 2040 plan includes a partnership with Contra Costa Water District, and the Los Vaqueros Expansion is expected to be completed later this year.

Foothill Conservancy President Katherine Evatt said “we’re grateful to (East Bay MUD) for changing course.” Chris Shutes of the California Sportfishing said “west-of-Delta storage is a forward-thinking approach that should be front and center for the entire Bay Area.”

John A. Coleman, East Bay Municipal board president said: “This process worked. We listened, we heard, and we acted. It has always been our intent to do the right thing for our customers and partners.”

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