COMMUNITY ALERT
September 15, 2017
5:15 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Liam Garland, Interim Public Works Director
(510) 747-7962
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.
UPDATE, 8:30 PM, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
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.
As a result of these latest developments, the State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water is no longer advising residents and businesses to avoid bodily contact with the water at Alameda Point.
All residents and businesses should flush their water fixtures for 10 minutes before using water for bathing and showering.
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.
Water can be used for toilet flushing.
Showers remain available: Even though water is safe to bathe in after it has been flushed for ten minutes, 10 portable showers using non-Alameda Point water will remain available for affected residents at the Alameda Fire Department Training Facility (431 Stardust Place parking lot) until 4pm on Friday, September 15. Private security is being provided 24 hours a day.
City updates: All City updates can be found here:
If you are a resident of Alameda Point and want to be added to a resident information listserv, please call Doug Biggs at the Alameda Point Collaborative at (510) 898-7849 or give your contact information to volunteers who are going door to door.
Community needs: Free bottled water remains available for pick up at the Alameda Point Collaborative, 677 W. Ranger Avenue, for affected residents and businesses.
In addition to the City’s outreach to residents and businesses, the City’s property manager is working with affected businesses to address their needs.
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 and messages can be left outside of these times.
Next Update: We will continue to post regular updates with new information as it becomes available. We do not anticipate providing an update to the do-not-drink advisory until Friday, when further laboratory tests will be available.
UPDATE, 4:30 PM, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Outreach update: Today at 1:00 pm, City staff facilitated a community meeting at Michaan’s Theater at Alameda Point. More than 50 community members were in attendance, along with East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD), the State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water, Vice Mayor Malia Vella, Councilmember Jim Oddie, and staff from Base Reuse, Public Works, the Police Department, and the City Manager’s office.
Community needs: The City of Alameda has made 10 portable showers available for affected residents. Two of these showers are ADA compliant. Showers are located at the Alameda Fire Department Training Facility at 431 Stardust Place in the parking lot.
For those wishing to contribute to affected residents, they are in need of baby wipes, disposable diapers, and hand sanitizer. These items can be dropped off at the Alameda Point Collaborative, 677 W. Ranger Avenue, and will be distributed by volunteers. The Red Cross is providing bottled water and paper goods.
Do-Not-Drink Water Alert Remains in Place: While water quality continues to improve at Alameda Point, people should refrain from drinking or using tap water for cooking or bathing at Alameda Point, and avoid bodily contact. Water can be used for toilet flushing.
This water quality alert will not be lifted until the State Water Resources Control Board - Division of Drinking Water deems the water safe for drinking and bodily contact.
No immediate health threat has been found. If people have health concerns, they should talk to their doctor.
Additional information
Please call our water alert hotline at (510) 747-7460 for additional information. The hotline has received over 100 calls today from concerned community members.
Who is affected by this alert?
The water quality issues are isolated to Alameda Point due to the nature of the non-EBMUD infrastructure. 268 residents and over 60 businesses are affected and each has been notified. This only affects areas west of Main Street. Areas that are not affected include Coast Guard Housing, Bayport, Summer House Apartments, and Atlantic Apartments. The map below 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 Tuesday night and we hope to have preliminary results of those tests by Thursday morning. Further testing is being done today, and those results will be available by the end of the week.
Next Update
We will continue to post regular updates with new information as it becomes available.
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