ALAMEDA POINT WATER SYSTEM DO-NOT-DRINK ADVISORY LIFTED BY STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD—DIVISION OF DRINKING WATER

Residents and businesses can now drink and cook with Alameda Point’s water. Water throughout Alameda Point’s drinking water distribution system has been deemed safe by the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water. This water once again matches EBMUD’s high quality water supply consistent with other areas outside of the Alameda Point water system.

Water Quality Testing. Late yesterday, the second round of test results of Alameda Point’s potable water system came back clear for bacteria. Today, comprehensive tests of Alameda Point’s system tested negative for other harmful contaminants. In addition, the irrigation well that was the source of the non-potable water that mixed with Alameda Point’s drinking water remains disconnected from the drinking water system. EBMUD and City staff will proactively and diligently continue to monitor and test Alameda Point’s potable water system to ensure its continued safety.

As a reminder, please be sure to flush all water fixtures for 10 minutes before initial water use for drinking, cooking, bathing, or showering.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly. 

End of Bottled Water and Shower Service: The City and the Red Cross will end free bottled water service. CERT volunteers will continue to staff the bottled water station through 7 pm today in order to let affected residents and businesses know that it is safe to drink from their faucets. 

Continued concerns about Alameda Point’s water taste or odor. Should Alameda Point residents or businesses experience any continued water quality concerns, please call EBMUD immediately at 1-866-403-2683.

City updates: All City updates can be found here: https://alamedaca.gov/news

Next Update: Expect the next update by Tuesday, September 19, at 3 pm. This update will include answers to the most frequently asked questions to date.

What follows are previous updates on the situation from the city.

The do-not-drink advisory remains in place. Residents and businesses should not drink, cook, or consume the water at Alameda Point until additional tests confirm it’s safe for consumption. However, as confirmed by various tests and the State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water, the water is safe for bathing and showering.

Community needs: Free bottled water remains available for pick up by affected residents and businesses between 8 am and 8 pm at the Alameda Point Collaborative, 677 W. Ranger Avenue.

Red Cross and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): The Red Cross and approximately 30 CERT volunteers distributed bottled water up until 10 pm on Tuesday night, and 8 am to 8 pm on Wednesday. Their efforts have resulted in more than 15 pallets (or 18,000 bottles) of drinking water being provided to affected residents and businesses. 

Outreach to businesses: Besides providing free bottled water to affected businesses, the City’s property manager has been working directly with affected businesses on their specific needs. Today, an EBMUD water truck delivered potable water directly to several businesses specializing in food and beverage production.

Additional information: If you have questions, please call the water alert hotline at (510) 747-7460. Staff is answering and responding to calls from 8am to 6pm today and 10 am to 4 pm tomorrow (Friday). Messages can be left outside of these times.

City updates: All City updates can be found here: https://alamedaca.gov/news

Next Update: Expect an update tomorrow, Friday, by 3 pm on the status of the water quality alert and the most recent results from laboratory tests. 

8:30 p.m update
Throughout the day, the City of Alameda and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) removed the source of non-potable/drinking water at Alameda Point, which was attributable to an existing irrigation well, flushed the system with EBMUD water, and then tested the water to confirm the non-potable water was flushed. In addition, a first round of preliminary bacteria samples collected last night have come back negative.

12:15 PM UPDATE

Who is affected by this alert?

The water quality issues are isolated to Alameda Point due to the nature of the former Navy infrastructure. 268 residents and over 60 businesses are affected and each has been notified. This only affects areas west of Main Street. Any address other than those contained within Alameda Point are not affected by this advisory. Specifically, areas that are not affected include Coast Guard Housing, Bayport, Summer House Apartments, and Atlantic Apartments. The map shown outlines the Alameda Point area in red:

What happened?

While field investigations are ongoing, it is likely that the source of the water quality issue is related to a cross-connection between a potable drinking water line and a non-potable irrigation line. Tests were taken at specific locations last night and we hope to have preliminary results of those tests by tomorrow morning. Additional testing is being done today that will confirm any initial results. The results of this additional testing may be available by the end of the week.

Additional information:

Please call the city's water alert hotline at (510) 747-7460.

Alameda Point residents and businesses:

While water quality is improving at Alameda Point, in an abundance of caution people should not drink the water, avoid bodily contact, and avoid allowing their pets to drink or bathe using water from the faucet.

Free bottled water is available for pick-up at the Alameda Point Collaborative, 677 W. Ranger Avenue, for affected residents and businesses. 

This drinking water alert will not be lifted until the Regional Water Quality Control Board deems the water safe for drinking and bodily contact. If people have health concerns, they should talk to their doctor.