The East Bay Municipal Utility District is celebrating its 75th anniversary with an open house event in Oakland on Saturday.
The East Bay’s wastewater bulwark, EBMUD began treating raw sewage in 1951 following a voter-approved mandate in 1944.
The vote also included the approval of a $23 million bond to build a regional wastewater system, which involved laying pipelines through Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville and Oakland.
Prior to that system, raw sewage flowed directly into San Francisco Bay, “creating an environmental and public health crisis so notorious it became known as the ‘Big Stench,’” EBMUD officials said in a news release Friday.
On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., people can head down to the wastewater treatment plant at 2020 Wake Ave. in Oakland to help the agency celebrate.
The free event will feature guided tours, opportunities to learn about careers in water and wastewater service and interactive exhibits and displays.
“San Francisco Bay is part of what makes this region extraordinary,” said EBMUD General Manager Clifford Chan. “The best way to honor 75 years of progress is to make sure future generations will inherit an even healthier bay and a resilient wastewater system.”
