Earthquakes a Big Concern in Oakland's Pipeline Replacement Plans

The East Bay Municipal Utility District has long been a national leader in pipeline innovation, and now it's pioneering water infrastructure projects that could mitigate the impact of seismic events in the region

Aug 15, 2019 | by Traci Browne |

Embud Main — Here, East Bay Municipal Utility District crews work to install about 2,800 feet of U.S. Pipe's earthquake-resistant ductile iron pipe in Berkeley, California, which runs along the Hayward Fault line.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Hayward Fault — situated just east of the San Francisco Bay — may be ready to produce a magnitude 6.8 to 7.0 earthquake. That’s an event that would affect the drinking water infrastructure for a population of well over 1.4 million people. The area first experienced a similarly destructive earthquake back in 1868 when it was sparsely populated. The high probability of another earthquake of that magnitude is something that weighs heavily on the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in Oakland, California, which provides water and wastewater services to the region. EBMUD manages

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