Crews will begin installing a monitoring well at Amador Valley Community Park next month as part of the city's efforts on water supply planning and groundwater basin assessment.

Expected to last most of March, construction on the groundwater monitoring well at approximately $180,000 is a "vital step in the city's PFAS Treatment and Wells Rehabilitation Project," according to Kathleen Yurchak, director of operations and water utilities for the city.

"The monitoring well will allow for the collection of groundwater data to help the city determine the viability of this location as a source of potential water supply to continue to deliver safe and reliable drinking water," Yurchak told the Weekly.

With city-operated wells accounting for about 20% of Pleasanton's potable water source, the City Council has made it a priority to advance work toward treating and rehabilitating city wells, especially in the context of contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -- chemicals once used prevalently for surface coating as an oil and water repellent as well as in firefighting foams.

The new monitoring well is being installed at Amador Valley Community Park between the Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center and Gingerbread Preschool. There will be heavy equipment for drilling onsite, but residents will continue to have access to the park and its facilities, other than the worksite itself, according to city officials.