The East Bay Municipal Utility District provides drinking water to 1.4 million customers and treats wastewater for 685,000 customers on the east side of San Francisco Bay in Northern California. The district's products and services are vital for public health, fire protection, economic development and quality of life. The district's award-winning business continuity programme is considered a model for the water and wastewater industry. This article discusses how the district approaches succession planning - the process of identifying and developing designated individuals who can replace critical roles in leadership or critical positions when those staff members become unavailable for any reason - with particular respect to the elected board of directors.