The extensive landscaping at the recently completed Bohol Circle Immigrant Park and the Pulte Homes condominiums at Alameda Landing is a beautiful sight to behold. And hats off to the city and Pulte Homes for installing recycled water pipes during construction.
The only thing wrong with the landscaping are the signs that say that the plants are irrigated with recycled water from East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). This is not true, according to EDMUD Public Information Representative Christopher Tritto.
EBMUD has plans to extend its East Bayshore Recycled Water Project to Alameda in 2027. They plan to accomplish this by reusing the drinking water line that was replaced earlier this year. They will feed a plastic pipe through the old metal pipe. But even after the supply line arrives, EBMUD still needs to design and construct the distribution system to Alameda Landing and Alameda Point.
“After that crossing pipeline is complete, EBMUD will take the next steps to design and build the recycled pipeline in Alameda,” Tritto said. “EBMUD will be responsible for the planning, funding, and installation of that pipeline in close coordination with the city of Alameda. We have not started designing that stage of the project, and the funding and timeline are yet to be determined.”
Given that uncertainty, it could be five or more years before Alameda can utilize recycled water instead of drinking water for landscaping.
“We plan to request that the recycled water landscaping signs you noted in your photo be removed until the city is connected to the recycled water service,” said Tritto in a July 7 response to our media inquiry.
Yet the signs are still there. Misleading the public is not right. Pulte Homes and the Alameda Recreation and Park Department should remove the signs and store them until the recycled water supply line arrives. They also should immediately lobby EBMUD to design and fund the distribution lines before the main line arrives to avoid further delay.
Contributing writer Richard Bangert posts stories and photos about environmental issues on his blog Alameda Point Environmental Report. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Richard-Bangert.
