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Planning commission forwards Cal Water Carlisle well EIR and use permit to City Council amid noise and vibration concerns
Summary
The Sunnyvale Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council certify a focused EIR and approve a use permit for Cal Water’s proposal to reestablish a groundwater well and a 56,000‑gallon tank at 800 Carlisle Way, while adding conditions requiring clearer mitigation, real‑time noise monitoring, and vibration monitoring. Commissioners and residents pressed Cal Water on drilling‑period night noise, diesel emissions, and alternatives analysis.
The Sunnyvale Planning Commission on March 9 voted to forward to the City Council staff’s recommendation to certify the environmental impact report and approve a use permit allowing California Water Service Company (Cal Water) to reinstall a groundwater extraction well and a 56,000‑gallon, 17‑foot‑tall water storage tank at 800 Carlisle Way.
The project, which requires drilling to roughly 800–1,000 feet, triggered a focused Environmental Impact Report because staff and the city’s consultants modeled drilling‑period noise that would exceed the city’s nighttime noise limits. During the hearing, staff and Cal Water’s consultants described a 27‑day period of near‑continuous drilling (two phases—potholing then continuous drilling) that could generate significant nighttime noise without mitigation.
Why the project is proposed: Cal Water said the site previously held a high‑producing well (drilled 1959) that was decommissioned in 2016 after casing failure. Melinda Schmidt, Cal Water’s district superintendent, said the company seeks to restore reliable local groundwater capacity to maintain system redundancy and improve fire‑flow reliability. “This well had very…
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