Alameda, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Alameda's Water Reuse Ordinance, codified at Section 30-57 and originally adopted by Ordinance No. , ties the City's recycled-water program to the East Bay Municipal Utility District's (EBMUD) service areas. 4 provides that any EBMUD Designated Water Reuse Area automatically becomes the City-Designated Water Reuse Area unless the City Council specifically narrows it, and the City keeps the boundary descriptions on file with the Public Works Department. 5, Development Applications, sets the operative mandate: new industrial, commercial or residential subdivisions that are within the City-Designated Water Reuse Area for which a tentative map or parcel map is required shall use recycled water provided by EBMUD, and have a separate plumbing system to serve recycled water uses in the common areas of the subdivision, including golf courses, parks, greenbelts, and landscaped medians.

That dual-plumbing system has to stay fully independent of the potable water system serving homes and businesses in the subdivision. 6 requires a written agreement between that supplier and EBMUD before service can begin. 7 gives the City Engineer discretion to exempt a qualifying subdivision from the recycled-water mandate if an alternative higher or better use exists, the recycled-water use isn't economically justified, or it's technically infeasible, but any such exemption must be reported to the Planning Board and City Council.