A Pipeline Runs Through It

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District will be installing an 18-inch potable water supply pipeline in Agoura Hills along stretches of Agoura Rd. and Reyes Adobe Rd, according to Jeff Reinhardt, manager of public affairs and communication for the water district.

Construction is set to begin in mid to late August and will likely conclude in late spring of 2012, said Reinhardt.

It will start on Reyes Adobe Rd. at Thousand Oaks Blvd., and run south to Agoura Rd., where it will run east to Cornell. “[The purpose is] to provide additional capacity to deliver water in and through the city of Agoura Hills … a more dependable supply system,” said Reinhardt. “It gives us redundancy and more choices in operating water distribution.”

David Lippman, director of facilities and operation, likened the project to updating the foundation of a house. It is one part of the water district’s five-project back-bone system improvements, “a system of large water pipelines, storage tanks and pump stations that allow us to move water east and west across the district,” he said.

Most people won’t notice a difference in water supply or water pressure, said Lippman. Rather, the new pipeline will simply assure that the district provides the same service that it does now, he said.

“In the summer months currently, in times of peak demand, we have to work very hard to keep the system fully supplied,” said Reinhardt. "This will give us more head room, so to speak.”

Although residents likely won’t be noticeably impacted once the project is completed, they will be affected during construction. 

City Engineer Ramiro Adeva said that there are no plans to make any of the streets inaccessible, meaning no road closures on the busy streets of Reyes Adobe Rd. and Agoura Rd., and detour routes won’t be necessary. 

“It should actually work pretty well for the most part,” said Adeva. “I wouldn’t say [construction] is going to be flowing at an optimal [efficiency]… People tend to drive a little more conservatively [near construction zones].”

One lane will probably be open in each direction, particularly on Agoura Rd., according to Adeva. All work will be done during normal business hours, except for the busy intersection at Kanan and Agoura Roads. That intersection’s construction will be done at night, due in part to the heavy beach traffic during the day, he said.

Adeva noted the positive relationship the city has with the water district and how that communication led to foresight regarding the project. 

During the construction of the now-completed Reyes Adobe Bridge, the water district was able to put casings underneath, said Adeva.  Likewise, the pipeline project coincides with the city’s future Agoura Rd. widening project. “It was pretty critical that we had direct coordination with them,” Adeva said. “Those two projects definitely interrelate.”