This time of year happy children and parents can frequently be found frolicking and relaxing at the East Bay Public Plaza. The plaza features a water theme, celebrated through artwork, interpretive elements, a wetland pond and a flowing stream.

Located in downtown Olympia, parents enjoy the benches and educational aspect, while children splash in the shallow, slow flowing stream (okay, some parents play in the water too!).

The stream and wetland are the real stars of the East Bay Public Plaza. They are special not only because they were designed with lots of features mimicking nature, but also because the water that feeds them mimics nature’s recycling processes, too.

Both the stream and wetland pond are fed by Class A Reclaimed Water – water that has been used, cleaned, disinfected, and is ready to be used again, just like the natural water cycle. The stream is the first reclaimed water feature in the state of Washington officially approved for play.

The East Bay Public Plaza project received an WA Aggregates & Concrete Association award in the “Special Applications: Artistic Merit” category. It was also a pilot project for the new Sustainable Sites Initiative program. Robert W. Droll, Landscape Architect was the design consultant on the project and SCJ Alliance was the civil engineering sub-consultant.

The East Bay Public Plaza is located at 325 Marine Drive in Olympia and is open dawn to dusk daily. It is a joint effort of the LOTT Clean Water Alliance, Port of Olympia, City of Olympia, and the Hands On Children’s Museum.