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Wasco secures $37.9 million for wells and makes water top priority in strategic plan
Summary
City staff reported a $37.9 million award to fund new water wells and identified water infrastructure as the top strategic priority to guide the FY27 budget and CIP. Council validated a top‑five list that also prioritizes staffing, economic development, public safety and animal control.
Wasco City staff reported a major grant win and elevated water infrastructure to the top of the council’s strategic priorities during an April 30 strategic planning session.
Maria (grants staff) told council the city has secured roughly $37,900,000 to fund water‑well projects intended to increase supply and system resilience. Staff noted the State Revolving Fund grant and additional awards will support test wells and later production wells but cautioned the timeline is lengthy and likely to extend beyond the grant’s current FY2027 deadline. Public Works staff said pilot testing will begin at Central and Pozzo, with additional test wells planned at other sites; full construction and bringing four new wells online was described as a multi‑year process.
Why it matters: council members repeatedly identified water capacity and aging infrastructure as the city’s most urgent constraint for housing and economic development. Staff told the council the new funding is a significant step but that scheduling, permitting and construction mean the city will likely seek deadline extensions and additional funding sources before all wells are operational.
What staff said: Public Works staff said Well 13 storage tank is about 95% complete and described a phased approach to pilot testing and drilling. The city manager noted staff plans to pursue a mix of grant funding and creative public‑private approaches — including working with developers that might fund wells and dedicate them to the city — to avoid saddling ratepayers with large up‑front costs.
Council response and next steps: Council members asked for clearer timelines and noted the grant paperwork and executed agreements still need to arrive. Staff said they expect to ask for a deadline extension in early 2027 if needed and will return with more precise schedules as grant documents arrive. The council placed water infrastructure at the top of a validated list of strategic priorities that will guide the FY27 budget and CIP planning.
