Water System Master Plan

The City of Palo Alto Utilities Department seeks proposals from engineering firms to develop a comprehensive Water System Master Plan for the City's potable water system. The plan will evaluate the existing water system over a 20-year time horizon, identify deficiencies, and recommend capital improvement program planning for 5, 10, and 20-year projections. The scope includes engineering assessment and capital improvement program planning for water distribution storage, water supply, distribution piping networks, and potable water facility sites.

Key deliverables include evaluation of water system capital improvements, system operation, risk and resiliency planning, and hydraulic modeling. The City's water system serves an average daily demand of nine million gallons per day, with 100% of water purchased from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The system includes five water supply connections to the Hetch-Hetchy Regional Water System, seven potable water distribution storage reservoirs and tanks (totaling approximately 9.5 million gallons capacity), seven pump stations, eight groundwater wells, 231 miles of transmission and distribution main, and 24,000 service connections across nine pressure zones.

The Water System Master Plan will focus on asset management, energy efficiency, and supply resiliency to guide a proactive capital improvement program. The plan should recommend useful life, replacement rates, and annual funding levels for future capital projects. The City currently funds a Water Capital Improvement Program with a five-year projected budget of $73 million. Prior studies including the "Water Wells, Regional Storage, and Distribution System Study Report" and "City of Palo Alto Water System Pipe Replacement Report" have guided previous capital expenditures.

Key deadlines include: Pre-Proposal Conference on July 8, 2026 at 5:30 PM, Q&A Deadline on July 24, 2026 at 8:00 PM, and Proposal Submission Deadline on August 7, 2026 at 10:00 PM.