During the May 20, 2026 board meeting, WQA staff reported that extraction well W66 at the Whitmore Street Groundwater Remediation Facility suffered casing damage (a bulge) during completion, raising concerns about its ability to meet the Proposition 1 grant requirement for a 20‑year useful life. After consultation with the Technical Advisory Committee for the Prop 1 grant (including DTSC, DFA, the Regional Board, WQA, and Weaver Consultants), the recommendation is to abandon well W66 and drill a replacement well at a different location. Staff stated they will work with legal counsel and review the existing contract with ABC Liovin Drilling before proceeding with abandonment and replacement.Separate June 17, 2026 project demands show payments to ABC Liovin and Weaver Consultants for Whitmore facility work, but no procurement path for the replacement well is yet defined. This indicates an upcoming engineering and drilling scope for a new extraction well and associated connections that is still in planning, creating near‑term opportunity for drilling contractors, design engineers, and construction support vendors familiar with contaminated groundwater projects and Proposition‑funded programs.

WQA must ensure the replacement well meets a 20‑year useful life requirement under the Proposition 1 grant; scope may include design, drilling, well development, and integration with the existing Whitmore treatment system.