Albany Bulb

What is the "Bulb"?

The Albany "Bulb" is located at the foot of Buchanan Street at the Albany waterfront (map(PDF, 591KB)). The Albany Bulb was previously a construction debris landfill site until operations were ceased in 1984. The Regional Water Quality Control Board worked with the City and community members to achieve the requirements of a landfill closure order and establish the area as a public park.

Park Planning

In 2002, State Parks adopted a General Plan for Eastshore State Park (now McLaughlin Eastshore State Park) which includes the Albany waterfront and bulb. The Plan outlines how the area is intended to be maintained and utilized as an open space public park, identifying both conservation and passive recreation areas. In addition, the Albany community, through the lead of the City's Waterfront Committee identified a number of planning goals for the Albany Waterfront as documented in the 1995 "Proposal for the Albany Portion of Eastshore State Park"(PDF, 2MB).

Transition to Public Parkland

Both the State Parks General Plan for Eastshore State Park and the Proposal for the Albany Portion of Eastshore State Park underscore the primary goal to provide an open, usable parkland area for the enjoyment of the community at large. The site is currently owned by the City of Albany and is open to the public for recreational use. East Bay Regional Parks serves as an agent of the State Parks system to manage adjoining areas of the waterfront. The City owned portion of the Albany waterfront is ultimately designated to be part of the Eastshore State Park.

Intended Usage

As identified in the Eastshore State Park General Plan, the park area is to include multi-use trails, scenic vistas and allow for passive recreation while balancing park usage with protection and enhancement of upland habitat for wildlife. Park hours are outlined in the Albany Municipal Code(PDF, 26KB) , and closed between the hours of 10 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. The Albany Municipal Code prohibits overnight camping at public parks. Per City Council direction, the Albany Police Department will begin enforcing the no camping Ordinance beginning in October 2013. A list of frequently asked questions(PDF, 13KB) regarding enforcement of the City's no-camping ordinance at the Albany Bulb has been developed.

Recent Activity

City of Albany Gamma Surveys at Albany Bulb Underway

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) has requested that the City of Albany investigate whether industrial waste materials containing alum mud were historically accepted at the former Albany landfill site on the Albany waterfront, including at the Albany Bulb.

The City moved quickly to submit its investigation work plan to the Regional Board and received approval for the plan on May 15, 2024. The first phase of the investigation, which included surface level gamma surveys, was conducted from June 17 to June 21. The City is awaiting the survey report, which will be reviewed along with available historical documents to inform the next steps in the investigation. The City's priority is the health and safety of our residents and visitors.

The City-owned portion of the waterfront is a former landfill that predominantly received construction and demolition materials between 1963 and 1983. In past years, numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate landfill materials, and neither the Regional Board nor the City has specific knowledge of any actionable public health and safety issues.

Information about the investigation will continue to be updated as it becomes available.

Related Documents

Recent Media

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Albany, CA 94706
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