East Valley Road Construction

As part of its Capital Improvements Program, Montecito Water District is upgrading approximately one mile of water main on East Valley Road. The work began earlier this month and is expected to be completed during this summer. 

Several Montecito residents have expressed frustration that the road construction is taking place just months after Caltrans completed repaving the area. Montecito Water District GM Nick Turner tells us attempts for coordination was not successful, as Caltrans was unable to delay the repaving and MWD’s schedule did not allow for beginning its project sooner. “I’d like the community to know, that while yes, we are tearing up what is essentially new pavement, we are replacing hundred-year-old water mains, which will hopefully not need to be replaced for another one hundred years,” he said, adding that Caltrans requires any utility work to be followed up with repaving of the street to the center line. “At the end of this, the water main will be replaced and the road will be new.” 

Montecito Water District is now 100 years old, which means 20 miles or so is also 100 years old and needs replacement. Turner said the District will complete at least one major pipeline replacement per year, as there are also many miles of 80- or 90-year-old pipelines that need replacement. These projects improve water delivery reliability by helping prevent water outages and water loss experienced during main breaks. 

The main replacement is occurring from 8 am to 4 pm Monday through Thursday, and Fridays 8 am to 1 pm, on East Valley Road from Freehaven Drive to Orchard Avenue. While work is planned in efficient short stretches to minimize impacts, avoiding the area during construction hours when possible is advised. Drivers should expect minor delays. 

For more information, visit www.montecitowater.com.