Drinking-water safety a hot topic in Pleasanton leading into November elections

PLEASANTON — 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.