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East Bay Water Customers To Be Protected From Droughts

BRENTWOOD (KCBS) - Water supply for more than two million customers in the East Bay will not be interrupted by a drought or any other emergencies if a project comes to fruition.

The Contra Costa Water District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District have been working on a regional plan to ensure the steady transport of water to their areas.

KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:

"What we've done is connect our pipes. That allows us to move water from our district to their district and vice versa," said East Bay MUD spokesman Charles Hardy. "And we're also connected all the way from Sacramento."

Testing of the intertie project is near completion. Jennifer Allen with the Contra Costa Water District said this regional approach will be especially beneficial during challenging times.

"It's a great opportunity to show the coordination between two agencies and maintaining regular service to customers in drought situations and other emergencies," she said.

The intertie project was initiated in 2007. The agencies constructed an intertie located in Brentwood to allow the transfer of water between East Bay MUD's Mokelumne Aqueduct and the Contra Costa Water District's conveyance facilities.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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