Alameda Point Environmental Report

Public Works cleans up storm debris at Alameda Point

On Thursday, December 19, 2024, a crew from Alameda’s Public Works Department was out in force at Alameda Point to clean up debris hurled onshore by recent storms.

Six workers brought plenty of equipment to remove the plastic-and-Styrofoam-laced debris along the Seaplane Lagoon shoreline near the ferry terminal.

Unnatural disaster from King Tide storms at Alameda Point

A deluge of plastic trash, including Styrofoam pellets, was heaved onshore at Alameda Point during high-tide storms.

On Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15, King Tide storms managed to flush huge amounts of plastic pollution out of the Bay and onto land. In some areas, such as along the paved trails on the ferry terminal side of the Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point, the storm reminded us that we have a huge plastic pollution problem right here in San Francisco Bay.

Possibly the worst plastic contaminant of all is polystyrene, commonly referred to by the trade name Styrofoam. Styrofoam breaks down into microplastics that do not biodegrade and can be ingested by marine life.

The sheer scale of the pernicious problem of degrading Styrofoam products in our waterways was displayed like a communique from Mother Nature saying, “Here’s your garbage back.” It will likely require a vacuum truck to suck it all up before it ends up back in the water.

Alameda Point tidelands revenue under scrutiny

Has the City of Alameda been spending lease revenue it receives from property it owns in the tidelands area of Alameda Point for purposes not authorized by state law?

That’s a question local and state authorities now are looking into.

With all the talk over the past year about economic development and the right mix of leasing and selling property at Alameda Point, City staff and the State Lands Commission, which owns and oversees tideland properties, now find themselves reviewing the books for revenues received from tideland properties, also known as Public Trust Land, at Alameda Point.

Best time to view the harbor seals at Alameda Point

Late autumn and early winter is a great time to view harbor seals from the Bay Trail along Enterprise Park at Alameda Point.

It is the only place on San Francisco Bay where harbor seals can be easily observed from a public trail. The floating dock offers a visual connection with a timid and seldom-seen marine mammal, which is often mistaken for the gregarious attention-loving sea lions at San Francisco’s Pier 39.

City applies for $2.4 million De-Pave Park grant

On October 4, 2024, the City of Alameda submitted a grant application to the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for $2.4 million. The purpose of the grant is to advance the level of detail in the De-Pave Park design drawings to support regional and local permit applications.

“The City plans to complete 60% design and apply for regional permits by early 2026, and complete 90% design and be shovel ready by the end of 2026,” states the application. “Concurrently, the City will be identifying and securing construction funding.”

PFAS cleanup at Alameda Point unnecessarily delayed

A hazardous substance at Alameda Point would have been cleaned up by now if its manufacturer had not withheld negative health data, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had acted sooner. Instead, a whole new cleanup process has been launched by the Navy, which could take another five years.

The PFAS (Per- and Poly- Fluoro- Alkyl Substances) class of toxic chemicals have been known to be present at several isolated underground locations around Alameda Point for a long time. There is no alarming presence of PFAS or risk to the public. Nevertheless, now that PFAS has been designated a hazardous substance by the EPA, the Navy is required to conduct a time-consuming process for remediation.

Veggie oil, lactose key to cleaning up toxic groundwater at Alameda Point

There are faster ways to clean up industrial solvents in groundwater, but the only viable choice for a large contamination site at Alameda Point was to turn the job over to bacteria. Known as bioremediation, a unique bacteria is breaking apart the solvent trichloroethene (TCE), also known as trichloroethylene, into a harmless substance.

It takes time and the right conditions for the bacteria to thrive—namely, an absence of oxygen and the presence of a carbon source. Readily-available carbon sources to pump into the contamination area just happen to be soy vegetable oil and dairy lactose.