PLEASANTON — The council will soon receive an update on the city’s ambitious water rehabilitation plan and consider a request for additional funding to evaluate wells.
“The project is on track,” said Kathleen Yurchak, Pleasanton’s director of operations and water utilities operations services. “To date, a preferred centralized treatment site has been identified at the Operations Service Center (on Busch Road).”
According to Yurchak, during the upcoming Jan. 19 meeting, staff will recommend an amendment to the city’s agreement with Carollo Engineers and ask the council for an additional $100,000 for the evaluation of two of the city’s three wells. If approved, Carollo will determine if those wells need rehabilitation or replacement. The funds will also go toward assessing treatment options and costs related to Chromium VI — another contaminant the Environmental Protection Agency monitors within groundwater distribution systems.
Going back to September last year, the city council unanimously approved a plan to address the per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFA) found in the system’s well water, along with a proposed agreement with Carollo Engineers for $437,374 to prepare a design and treatment report. The final report will lay out the specifics of the
$40 million water project, including the possibility of combining the three wells into one service center.
“Combining all three of Pleasanton drinking water wells for central water purification to remove the family of PFAs contamination and more will reduce costs and provide better assurance to our residents that we are providing clean and safe water now and into the future,” Mayor Karla Brown said.
Brown added that the cost of the project will be significant; the city will search out water grants and low-interest loans to supplement the funding.
The work to address the contamination follows a March 2019 order from the state’s Division of Drinking Water (DDW). The DDW called on local water agencies to test their sources for high levels of PFA chemicals, which are unregulated contaminants. PFAs are used in pesticides and coatings for carpet, furniture, waterproof apparel, Teflon products and more. Exposure to unsafe levels could, over time, result in health concerns, such as cancer, liver damage and developmental effects on unborn fetuses, according to city staff.
Results showed that all three wells had levels of the compounds, but only one was above state regulations. The city shut down the contaminated well and has been working with staff to develop a solution.
The City of Pleasanton distributes approximately 4,500 million gallons of treated water a year to 22,000 customers. Approximately 25% of that distributed water is sourced from the city’ s groundwater allotment of 1,140 milligrams per year. The city purchases the remaining percentage of its…
Read more:: Council to Review Well Water Status | News
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