LVMWD Board to Discuss New Water Tank

On Saturday March 24, the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) Board of Directors will conduct a special board meeting on the District’s Backbone Improvement Program which includes the proposed construction of a 5-million gallon storage tank at Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village. 

The meeting will be held at White Oak Elementary School, 31761 Village School Road in Westlake Village, beginning at 9 a.m.

The special meeting will include a review on the need for the program and its elements, a summary of the information gathered to date, an evaluation of alternate routes for construction traffic to the reservoir site including routing through Triunfo Creek Park, discussion of a construction mitigation traffic plan and an examination of environmental concerns related to the project.

The Backbone Improvement Program has been part of LVMWD’s long-term strategy to improve water service across the District and to provide capacity for future development in the region. A portion of the program is already under way in Agoura Hills.

"This workshop is an opportunity for water customers to gain a greater understanding of the project and what is being proposed to meet the current and future needs of the entire service area,‖ said John R. Mundy, LVMWD’s General Manager. "LVMWD has not had to make significant changes to the water system since the growth period of the mid- 1980s and now finds it necessary to improve the reliability of the water system. It improves the water system’s delivery capacity, assures that customer demands and fire protection needs are met now and in the future, without interruption. The storage tank component is but one element in the overall design."

The Backbone Improvement Program is designed to improve water flow during periods of peak demand, to assure dependable supplies in the event of an interruption of water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and to make better use of the Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village to help reduce costly peaking charges for water purchased from Metropolitan, which is the sole supplier of water to LVWMD.

Spread over several years, the multi-million dollar project will not require debt financing but will instead be funded from the district’s capital projects reserve funds and development fees, which have been set aside for this purpose.
The current financial climate allows LVMWD to take advantage of very competitive pricing by construction firms bidding for work, given the lack of development in the private sector.

Over the last five years, this has resulted in project costs often coming in lower than initial estimates, but the situation can change quickly as the economic recovery gains momentum.

LVMWD provides potable water to residents and businesses in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Westlake Village and adjacent unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County including Chatsworth and the Santa Monica Mountains.

-- Las Virgenes Municipal Water District