Santa Barbara Council OKs final design, environmental work for Vic Trace reservoir replacement

The Santa Barbara City Council voted to award final design and environmental services contracts for the Vic Trace Reservoir replacement project, moving the project forward from preliminary design into the CEQA review and detailed design phases.

The Vic Trace facility, built in 1956, holds about 10 million gallons and sits at the core of the city’s water distribution system. "This particular reservoir holds 10,000,000 gallons and to put that in perspective this community uses on average about 10,000,000 gallons a day," Joshua Hagmark, acting public works director and water system manager, told the council. He said the site supplies roughly 70% of the community’s water.

City staff and the project team described a plan to demolish the existing reservoir and replace it with two buried circular tanks of 5,000,000 gallons each, relocate and update a pump station, widen the driveway for construction access, add terraces for operations, improve landscape and drainage, strengthen site security and consolidate public-safety communications equipment on the property. "First and foremost, to replace aging infrastructure," Kelly Bourque, the project’s principal project manager, said when outlining project objectives.

Project timeline and budget

At the 15% design milestone the city estimates the total project budget at about $130 million, with roughly $120 million allocated to direct construction costs (2029 pricing assumptions). Staff said design would be completed by 2027, environmental review and permitting would run through 2025–2026, and construction is anticipated between 2028 and 2031.

Environmental review and community outreach

Staff told the council they expect to prepare an environmental impact report under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The timeline presented calls for an initial study and public meeting in the fall, a draft EIR in the spring, and a final EIR in 2026. Staff said key issues to be studied include construction air quality and noise, biological and cultural resources, stormwater, and erosion controls.

The project team described outreach that has included a public workshop on the Mesa attended by about 45 participants and said it plans dozens more public meetings and targeted neighborhood outreach over the next two years. Neighbors asked staff to strengthen site security, provide clear construction-impact information, and preserve on-site wildlife where feasible; staff said those concerns will inform final design.

Procurement and funding approach

The city said it intends to use a construction manager at-risk procurement method that allows a contractor to join the design process early, provide open-book cost estimates during each design phase, and commit to a schedule. Presentation slides identified potential funding avenues as the state drinking water State Revolving Fund (SRF), WIFIA loans (Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act), and municipal bonds; staff said further value engineering will be used to refine costs.

Council action and next steps

Council accepted staff recommendations to execute a final design contract with Kennedy Jenks and an amendment to the environmental lead agreement with Rincon Consultants and approved both items in a roll-call vote. The council vote on the item was recorded with six yes votes and one absence (Council Member Jordan not present). The city will proceed to the CEQA initial study, continue design to 100%, and return to council for contract awards and additional approvals as the project advances.

Because the project will require multiple major contracts and environmental approvals, staff said construction timing and final scope remain contingent on the EIR, final procurement, and securing financing.

The council's approval starts the formal environmental review and final design work that city staff say will guide contractor selection and more precise budgeting before construction is scheduled to begin in 2028.