Garden Grove PFAS treatment project targets three city wells
The Orange County Water District Board of Directors on July 15, 2026, approved a $31,785,907 construction contract for PFAS treatment systems at three Garden Grove groundwater wells and set the project’s total budget at $40,441,173.
The final board action awarded Contract GG-2025-1 to Pacific Hydrotech Corporation and rejected a bid protest filed by Garney Pacific. Construction is expected to run from July 2026 through April 2028, subject to permitting and project execution.
What the project will do
The three treatment plants are designed to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS, from groundwater before treated water is distributed to Garden Grove customers.
The systems will use ion-exchange pressure vessels and pre-filter cartridge systems, along with piping, valves, meters, electrical equipment, instrumentation and other site improvements. Sand separator systems are also planned at Wells 26 and 27. The treatment is intended to occur before the water enters the city’s distribution system.
Where work will occur
The project covers Well 22 at 7001 Chapman Ave., Well 27 at 11472 Magnolia St. and Well 26 at 12351 Trask Ave.
Well 26 requires the most complicated construction arrangement because there is not enough space at the well site for the treatment equipment. The treatment plant will be located about 1,500 feet west of the well, at the rear of the city’s existing fire station property.
OCWD’s pre-bid materials describe approximately 1,520 feet of raw-water pipeline from Well 26 to the treatment system and approximately 260 feet of treated-water pipeline to the distribution system on Trask Avenue. A section beneath Laurel Street’s storm drain and the Orange County Flood Control District channel will be installed using microtunneling.
Why the budget increased
OCWD established a preliminary $25 million budget in 2024 based on the average cost per well at that time. The agency said that figure was carried forward until the construction contract was awarded, when the project budget could be finalized.
The final $40,441,173 budget includes the construction contract, ion-exchange media, design and construction management, permits and advertising, staff expenses and contingency. The construction contract itself is $31,785,907.
OCWD staff identified several reasons the final cost was higher than the preliminary estimate: the wells are high-production sites requiring larger pipes and more treatment vessels; Well 26 needs a remote treatment site; construction must be coordinated with the fire station; pipeline work is near a high-traffic street and a Caltrans freeway on-ramp; and a roughly 300-foot microtunnel must pass beneath a storm-drain channel and large storm-drain line. Remote treatment also requires a new disinfection system and containment building.
How the work will be funded
The project budget includes approximately $20 million in expected State Water Resources Control Board grant reimbursement and an approximately $300,000 Garden Grove contribution for project elements not required by PFAS treatment. OCWD’s expected cost after those reimbursements is listed at $20,141,173.
Those figures describe the financing of the overall project and should not be confused with the separate $31.8 million construction-contract amount.
What construction could mean locally
The records identify work near a high-traffic street, a freeway on-ramp, a fire-station property and a flood-control channel. They do not establish specific lane closures, access restrictions or water-service interruptions. Residents, businesses and drivers should watch for future Garden Grove or OCWD notices as permits, construction timing and commissioning details are finalized.
Timeline and water-quality context
OCWD’s board materials list the expected construction-contract period as July 2026 through April 2028. The May 7 pre-bid presentation targeted an August 2026 start and specified a 640-calendar-day construction duration from the notice to proceed. It also set interim targets for producing treated water from the wells: 360 days for Well 22, 480 days for Well 27 and 610 days for Well 26.
Garden Grove’s water-quality information says the city and OCWD are using treatment systems to filter PFAS from groundwater and that Garden Grove’s water supply continues to meet applicable state and federal drinking-water standards. The new project is a dedicated treatment response for Wells 22, 26 and 27; residents should rely on the city’s water-quality reports and future agency notices for current testing and operational updates.
Sources
- OCWD Board of Directors meeting packet — July 15, 2026
- City of Garden Grove water quality and PFAS information
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