Las Virgenes water district updates Agoura Hills council on Pure Water construction, traffic and outreach plans

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) told the Agoura Hills City Council on June 10 that construction has begun on its Pure Water Project and outlined nearby construction, pipeline and outreach plans.

Engineering Program Manager Oliver Sloer said the project is an indirect potable reuse system that will take excess recycled water from the district’s reclamation facility, treat it at a new advanced purification plant designed for about 7.5 million gallons per day, and send the treated water to reservoir storage for later blending and treatment. Staff estimate the facility could supply roughly 30% of the district’s future local water needs.

Sloer described construction activity at the plant site (3080 Agoura Road), including recent mass excavation, and said the district is building a regional pipeline network to move recycled water, purified product water and a concentrate (brine) stream. He said the overall program includes roughly 21 miles of new pipelines region-wide, including an approximately 14‑mile reverse‑osmosis concentrate line. Staff stated that much of the pipeline work within Agoura Hills is expected later in the schedule (2028–2029) and that some pipeline segments will require coordination with neighboring jurisdictions.

To handle construction parking and staging needs, LVMWD presented a semi‑permanent restriping plan for Agoura Road that would create on‑street parking and about 50 staging spaces directly in front of the facility. Sloer said the district plans a one‑year trial of the restriping and will reassess; if impacts are mitigated, the restriping could remain through construction. He emphasized that sidewalks and bike lanes would be preserved and that taper delineation for speed and lane changes would extend primarily into Westlake Village.

On environmental mitigation and public benefits, staff described a west‑side parcel planned for oak and native plant restoration and a small public benefit area with a bike repair station, bottle‑filling station and interpretive signage. That public amenity work is anticipated near the end of construction (2029–2030). Sloer said the bottle‑filling amenity would be connected to the district’s potable system as part of indirect potable reuse operations, not piped directly from the new purification facility.

Council members asked about brine disposal, coordination with a local fiber‑optic project, potential art in public places and whether the presentation materials could be shared. Staff said the concentrate will be routed to a regional brine pipeline and ultimately discharged offshore through a regional outfall system, that construction schedules are being coordinated to avoid overlapping road closures, and that a portion of the plant has been reserved for a possible later art installation. Staff agreed to provide the council the presentation slides.

The district also described outreach steps including targeted info sessions for nearby apartment complexes, neighborhood coordination meetings, a project phone line, a demonstration facility open for tours, and periodic pop‑up outreach at local events. LVMWD said it will continue biweekly coordination with Agoura Hills staff on construction impacts and outreach.

The council thanked district staff and district leaders in attendance and posed no formal action on the update. The presentation is informational and staff said they will return with specific permit or project items for council consideration if required.