Consultants and town staff presented three alternatives Jan. 13 for upgrades to Sunnyvale’s water distribution system; council members indicated support for the staff‑recommended Alternative 1, a two‑phase program that prioritizes near‑term pumping capacity and later adds a second delivery point for system redundancy.

Corey Wilkinson (Garver, consultant) and Town Engineer Matt presented technical findings: Sunnyvale’s existing firm pump capacity is about 6.5 million gallons per day (MGD) while projected build‑out demands require greater firm capacity. The Riverstone pump station currently feeds the system and sits adjacent to a roughly 500,000‑gallon ground storage tank whose internal condition is unknown because it cannot be taken offline without creating supply gaps. Consultants said rehab work on the existing tank could cost multiple millions depending on scope; staff recommended replacing or installing new storage rather than repeatedly rehabbing an unknown interior.

Alternative 1 (staff recommendation) would add a roughly 3,000,000‑gallon ground storage tank at the Riverstone site and expand pump capacity (Phase 1, estimated cost about $6.1M) to address immediate needs. Phase 2 would add a second delivery point near the Town East elevated tank and an additional ~3,000,000‑gallon tank to create system redundancy and operational flexibility (Phase 2 estimated cost about $12.3M). The combined planning figure presented was about $18.4M; staff estimated design and construction from procurement through completion could take roughly three to four years per major phase and the second phase could be timed toward projected 2035 demand levels.

Staff noted some work is contingent on coordination with North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) to tap a larger transmission main, which would require NTMWD to install isolation valves and a metering vault; NTMWD had provided a preliminary estimate of about $3.25M for that interconnection work. Consultants said any alternative keeping all capacity at the Riverstone site (Alternative 2) would be less costly up front but would not provide the desired redundancy.

Fire Chief (unnamed in transcript) explained mutual‑aid tanker operations and drafting would be used in an extreme failure to support firefighting, but both staff and the chief emphasized the planning goal is to avoid situations that would compromise firefighting and potable supply reliability.

Council members expressed support for the phased approach that addresses immediate reliability while planning a second delivery point for true redundancy. Staff said Alternative 1 best matches operational, safety and long‑term planning goals and will be used to finalize the water master plan and associated capital improvements programming.