A costly project to replace drinking wells closed due to contamination is moving forward, as the issue of safe drinking water bubbles to the top of the city’s election buzz. Five years ago, the city of Pleasanton began shuttering the underground water supply, eventually closing three wells and switching an estimated 22,000 customers to a water wholesaler that serves eastern Alameda County. Now, officials are on the hunt for new wells, a project estimated to cost between $23 million to $43 million. The issue has emerged as one of the hottest topics among candidates running for seats in November, including the tight race between current Mayor Karla Brown and Councilman Jack Balch. When the city in 2019 detected perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — substances commonly found in Teflon or “non-stick” chemicals, known as PFAs — it “was a surprise to us all,” Brown said in an interview.

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