Sunnyvale planners review Cal Water proposal for deep groundwater well and 56,000‑gallon tank amid noise concerns

Sunnyvale planning staff and California Water Service Company representatives on May 27 described a proposal to reopen and upgrade a decommissioned water site at 800 Carlisle Way, including drilling a replacement groundwater well to about 800–1,000 feet below grade and installing an approximately 56,000‑gallon steel tank about 24 feet tall.

Planner Mary J. Prakash said the project "triggers focused EIR because of the significant and unavoidable noise impacts due to the drilling activity." The city began circulating a draft environmental impact report May 15; the public review period runs 45 days, through June 30, and a public hearing is planned in June. A final EIR, responses to comments and subsequent hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council were described as the next steps; staff estimated the project could be complete in 2026.

The applicant, California Water Service Company (Cal Water), presented technical details. Cal Water engineer Luis Zamudio described the proposed drilling method and why continuous operations are requested: "The primary reason why we're proposing 24/7 drilling operations is because it…