|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Pleasanton City Council unanimously gave city staff the green light to move forward with finalizing an agreement with the Zone 7 Water Agency that will govern how two new wells will be built and operated in local public parks.
Both agencies will now move forward with the design and construction phases of the joint project, which staff said will help Pleasanton recover its groundwater production quota that has been lost for years due to PFAS — also known as forever chemicals — being found in its groundwater wells years ago. According to the city, the project is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2029.
“The resilience of our water supply is essential,” Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch said during the Sept. 1 council meeting. “This project diversifies the water supply, obviously, so we can break away from the wholesale rate on 100% of it and get to our local rate and the partnership with Zone 7 is paramount to doing that.”
It’s been roughly four years since the city shut down its Wells 5, 6 and 8 after tests detected PFAS chemicals that were above advisory levels. It was also around the same time that the city began purchasing its groundwater quota from Zone 7 at a wholesale price of roughly $6 million per year, according to utilities planning manager Todd Yamello.
Before purchasing the groundwater quote from Zone 7, Pleasanton’s wells produced 3,500 acre-feet per year of water for the city.
At first, Pleasanton eyed the idea of constructing a new treatment facility to process its groundwater. However, after seeing the hefty price-tag that came with a new facility, the council decided to look at other options.
So, in October 2023, the City Council approved a recommendation from the city’s “Water Supply Alternative Study” to pursue construction of two new groundwater wells in the Bernal Sub-basin. The next year, the city and Zone 7 — which had been eyeing a similar project — entered into an agreement to evaluate the feasibility of a joint project.
That feasibility study, which concluded in December 2025, determined there was enough water yield and strong water quality for a joint project, and that there would be no impact to the groundwater’s sustainability, Yamello said. The study identified Tennis Park and Hansen Park as feasible locations for the two new wells.
The City Council then decided this past April to move forward with the project alongside Zone 7 as partners, following a city cost-benefit analysis that recommended implementing new groundwater wells with Zone 7 as opposed to implementing them independently.
Following the April meeting, Yamello said city and Zone 7 staff worked together on an agreement between the two agencies that will help govern the design, construction and operation of the new facilities. That agreement was then presented at this past Sept. 1 meeting.
According to Yamello, one of the key terms includes designating Zone 7 as the lead agency to deliver the project. Under the agreement, the water agency will be responsible for environmental review, permitting, procurement, design and construction, and consultant and contractor administration.Â
Zone 7 will also be responsible for identifying and implementing repairs, replacements, or enhancements that may be required over time to address aging equipment or meeting changing regulations.
Per the agreement, the city will handle things like community outreach, reviewing deliverables and providing input on the design of the facilities.
Yamello said Pleasanton will approve the facilities’ aesthetics, location and other things that would affect residents, like noise coming from the facilities or their construction.
Other provisions from the agreement include Zone 7 retaining final authority over technical and operational decisions; the city having a permanently reserved 3,500 acre-feet of yearly production and 6.2 million gallons of maximum day production; both agencies being able to exit from participating in the project during the design phase; and having Zone 7 continue to supply the city’s groundwater quota until the project is completed.
According to the agreement, if the project is delayed due to Zone 7, the city will receive its groundwater quota at the “in-lieu treated water rate”.
One of the last main provisions of the agreement is the cost breakdown for the project, which is slated to cost about $43 million.
According to Yamello, the city already spent $1.5 million for feasibility studies, which were largely paid for by a grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board.Â
Aside from that, the city will also have to pay $15.2 million for its share of developing the regional groundwater project and $12.3 million for city groundwater distribution improvements, which would solely fall on the city. Those improvements will help the new groundwater get to the Zone 7 Hopyard Chloramination Facility, Yamello said.
The agreement, Yamello said, will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2055.
“It has been an awfully long journey and it’s gone in a lot of directions over the years so getting here feels good,” Councilmember Julie Testa said during the meeting.
Apart from lowering the cost of the city’s groundwater production quota, Yamello also said the cost savings and the overall cost benefits that the city would see from the project will be incorporated into the next water rate study — the current one, which covers the next four years, assumes the city will continue purchasing is groundwater quota from Zone 7.
Balch said that point was particularly important because, as Pleasanton has seen a lot of water rate changes over the past few years, these new wells would hopefully help the city to stabilize its rates and not have to keep increasing them.
Pleasanton Preps: Reflections in aftermath of Amador Valley basketball scandalSeptember 8, 2026 9:16 pm
San Ramon teen, friend attacked at apartment complex in Pleasanton on Labor DaySeptember 8, 2026 4:42 pm
Amador Valley boys' basketball hit with penalties, put on probation over player ineligibilitySeptember 5, 2026 10:38 am