Cerritos staff outline $23M in critical water, sewer projects and propose five‑year rate plan under Prop 218

Alvin Papa, director of public works and city engineer for the City of Cerritos, told the Planning Commission on Dec. 3 that the city depends almost entirely on four groundwater wells and faces near‑term replacements and treatment needs that require significant investment. "These wells are getting aged, and they do need some help," Papa said, noting casing lifespans of six to 21 years across individual wells and elevated arsenic and manganese levels in several sites.

Staff presented the condition and priorities: a $16 million rebuild and treatment system for the city’s largest producer (Well C4) budgeted in the capital improvement program, $9–$14 million estimates for replacement of other wells, booster pump and variable‑frequency drive replacements (roughly $300,000), reservoir repairs ($50,000 identified for immediate sealing), and a recommended program to replace one mile of pipeline per year at an estimated program cost of roughly $16.7 million. Papa said the city has been buying imported water when wells are offline; he warned that imported water runs far higher than local replenishment costs and that the city recently has had to purchase import water several…