San Luis Obispo sits atop a large groundwater basin — but chemicals swirling in the water prevent the city from using it for drinking. The city won a $6.6 million grant to install wells that remove tetrachloroethylene, a colorless chemical also known as PCE, from the groundwater, according to city water resources program manager Nick Teague. The wells should be operational by 2026 and will allow the city to fulfill 10% to 12% of its drinking water needs, he said. The city presented the project at a meeting Tuesday evening at the San Luis Obispo City-County Library.

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