Water Main Replacement on Santa Barbara’s De la Vina Street Will Come with Some Road Closures, Service Interruptions

[Updated: Thu., Mar. 6, 2025, 3:50pm]

A project to replace a water main along a section of De la Vina Street in Santa Barbara is set to break ground, meaning that along with the update of new pipes will come new road closures, parking restrictions, and potential disruptions of water service — all of which has some local businesses concerned. 

The construction will take place between Constance Avenue near the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch and Micheltorena Street right before The Upham Hotel. The project was originally set to begin Monday, March 10, but construction has been postponed to the following Monday, March 17, due to weather, according to the city. Road closures will occur 7 a.m-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, until this fall.

Mathew Rojas, city project engineer, mentioned that workers plan to cover one block per week, though this is tentative. “That is what the contractor is proposing based on how much they can install in a week, but it all depends on conditions underground and on the rains,” said Rojas.

According to Rojas, the construction will leave about one lane open along the parking area of the one-way street for traffic to continue to flow. This will come with parking restrictions for the impacted areas, and water service may be interrupted while properties are being connected to the new water main. Notices will be sent out a day before a property will be impacted.

Though there is nothing alarmingly at fault with the pipes as of now, Rojas noted that the city has a schedule for replacing certain water mains. The city keeps track of burst pipes or when pipes were last replaced, so certain areas may be due for updates that can prevent future problems.

The recent water main break that caused a boil water notice in the Hope Ranch area may provide a reason for why such replacements are necessary ahead of time. Though he did not know the exact cause, Jason Cunningham, Water Resource Control Engineer for the impacted area, said that the notice (which was canceled on Wednesday) was sent out because the break could not be isolated for a period of time and allowed for the potential of bacteria to develop. 

“Pipe location can make breaks difficult,” said Cunningham. “Scheduled replacements can isolate and control a situation which minimizes the chance of bacterial contamination in a system.”

Though the new De la Vina main will reinforce the water system in the area, there is some concern from local businesses. “We only have four parking spots, some of which are used by staff,” said Olivia Rockwood, an employee at Mission Street Ice Cream on the corner of De la Vina and Mission. “Our busiest time is between 3 and 6 p.m. when people get off of work.”

There is also a question as to whether a one-day notice is enough for these establishments and if the message is being heard. Erin Guerena, co-owner of Haven Barber Shop, mentioned that many people who go to the ice cream store use their parking lot already. The one-day notice is also worrisome for them as they rely heavily on running water to be open for business. Guerena also said that many other apartment residents living on the De la Vina strip may have to relocate their cars.

Edwin Guzman, owner of GadgetFix phone repair, mentioned not having any knowledge of the closures. “This is going to be a bit rough,” said Guzman. “But there’s already so much traffic that builds up here in the Mission section, so I guess it can’t get any worse.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to note that the start of construction has been postponed to March 17 due to weather.