Los Olivos moves forward with proposed $48 million sewer system

The Los Olivos Community Services District has voted to proceed with a 60 percent engineered design for a new sewer system. The proposed project includes a pipeline to Solvang and would be owned by the district. The system is intended to address long-standing nitrate intrusion into the local groundwater aquifer, a problem that led Santa Barbara County to designate Los Olivos as a “Special Problems Area” over fifty years ago.

While current engineering and design are 30 percent complete, initial cost projections are estimated at approximately $48 million. A final, more accurate cost estimate will be provided once engineering and environmental analyses are finished. Following that, a state-mandated Proposition 218 vote will be held, allowing property owners within the district to accept or reject the system. Costs are expected to be allocated based on usage, such as commercial cores paying a proportional share of construction and ongoing expenses.