Porterville’s City Council on Oct. 21 approved a water‑system consolidation that will connect Hope Elementary School to the city’s water system after staff and school officials said the school’s active well exceeds safe nitrate limits.

The council adopted an initial study, a mitigated negative declaration and the mitigation monitoring and reporting program tied to the project, then voted 5‑0 to approve the water consolidation plan. The school district and staff said the work will provide a consistent source of potable water that meets current water quality standards.

Why it matters: Hope Elementary serves a young and medically vulnerable population. School leaders told the council they have already spent more than $100,000 to mitigate water problems and want the city connection so those funds can instead be used for students and programming.

What was approved: the project calls for new water mains along South Indiana Street and West Teapot Dome Avenue, a 4‑inch service connection and meter at the school to provide domestic water, irrigation and fire flow, removal of an on‑site tank and destruction of the existing well. The staff report states the project is consistent with the Porterville 2030 General Plan and is grant‑funded; the mitigation monitoring and reporting program will be implemented as part of approval.

School superintendent Melanie Motta told the council the school district had spent “well over $100,000 of our own resources to kind of mitigate all of the things that are happening with our school,” and said consolidating with the city’s system will let the district redirect money to students. At the hearing several residents and parents spoke in favor of the project.

Timing and next steps: staff said the project is grant‑funded and that contracting and construction will proceed under the adopted mitigation measures; no other connections to the extended water system are proposed at this time.

Budget and review notes: the initial study was circulated for a 30‑day review from Sept. 12 through Oct. 12; the staff report said no comments had been received at the time the council packet was published.

Council comment: Vice Mayor McCurvey and others called the project important for the south side’s infrastructure and welcomed the long‑delayed advancement of a multi‑year effort to extend water service in that area.