Parlier says major well filtration upgrade nearly complete; city to bring multiple wells back online

Parlier City staff told the City Council on May 1 that a multiwell filtration project to remove TCP and other contaminants is nearly complete and will bring several inactive wells back into service.

At a presentation, Javier, a Parlier City staff member, said, “So we're doubling our well system with this project,” and outlined that filters have been installed at multiple sites and that Well 9 — the largest producer — is expected to return to service after a state inspection. He said Well 9 “provides around 70% of the city's water.”

Council members and the mayor thanked staff and contractors for years of work and pressed staff on next steps for inspections and public notification. Mayor Alma Beltran thanked the utility crew and outside partners and said staff “did a lot to facilitate, and, collaborate” on the effort.

Why it matters: The project will increase Parlier’s treated water capacity by bringing Wells 4, 4A, 5A, 8, 2A, 6 and 7 into service as filters and controls are completed. Council members noted the public-health and operational significance because a single well (Well 9) currently provides the largest share of treated water to the city.

Key details: City staff presented photos of new carbon filters, backwash tanks, control rooms, new pumps and standby generators at multiple well sites. Staff said centralized treatment at the Manning/2A location will treat water from two wells (2A and 4A) and that some sites are complete but awaiting PG&E transformer installation and final state inspections before being placed online. For one well (identified in the presentation as 5A on Zedekir), staff said no detectable TCP was found and the site did not require carbon filtration; it only needed pump and control upgrades.

Funding and history: Council members described the project as the outcome of multiple funding sources over several years. Speakers said the effort traces to a 2016 settlement related to contamination, added federal funds (cited in the meeting as assistance from then-congressman TJ Cox) and a substantial grant from the state water board that staff and council attributed to enabling project completion. During public remarks, a council member said the state water board provided what she recalled as about $11,000,000 to complete the project; the transcript indicated earlier settlement and multiple grant sources but did not provide a single consolidated budget in the meeting.

Operations and timing: Javier said many sites are “99% complete” but emphasized that certain final steps are scheduled: internal testing, state water board inspection (which Javier said would check for bacteria and approve carbon media use), and a PG&E transformer installation that staff expect in June–July for some sites. He said some wells are already being flushed and undergoing chlorination and other pre-operational tests. Where inspections were pending, staff would not put wells into service until regulators authorized them.

Public notification and next steps: Council members asked about notifying customers once filtration is active. A council member suggested using utility-bill mailers to inform residents the filtration system is online and to reassure customers about water quality. Staff agreed to incorporate public notification into their rollout plans. No formal vote or policy change related to the water project was taken at the meeting; the presentation served as a project update.

Provenance: The presentation and Q&A appear across the council meeting transcript during the staff presentation portion beginning with Javier’s overview of the city’s well system and concluding with council thanks and questions about notification and funding. The council moved on to other agenda matters after the presentation.

What’s next: Staff indicated several wells will come online after final inspections and PG&E work; council members urged staff to publicize the change to customers once regulators allow treated water to be delivered citywide.