Santa Ynez neighborhood has been requesting project for 30 years
By Serena Guentz
Contributing Writer
The Santa Ynez Community Services District kicked off construction of a sewer mainline extension down Horizon Drive during a special board of directors meeting on July 28.
The project will install an 8-inch mainline down Horizon Drive that will connect to Highway 246, allowing residents to connect to a public sewer.
“With completion of the Highway 246 undercrossing, the Horizon Drive mainline extension has now become a priority and is under construction,” the board said in an email press release.
Currently, residents of the 21 homes along the street do not have any public sewer system to connect to, which has required them to use their own septic systems, which would frequently overflow during heavy rain.
The Horizon Drive mainline extension project is one that has been explored and that residents have been asking for over the last 30 years.
“Entities like the government and boards of various services come and go, but the American taxpayer and citizen is always there with or without the services,” said longtime resident Peg Ivy.
“I started this journey back in the ’90s and I am so thankful that the right board has come along and hired the right manager to put this together to make it happen,” Ivy continued. ‘The moral of this story is that things come to those who wait and never give up, as things happen when they are supposed to happen and on God’s timetable…so I am very grateful and thankful to see it come to fruition.”
Construction of the sewer mainline is being done by San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara-based Specialty Construction Inc., whose previous work includes Brave and Maiden Winery in Santa Ynez, the Cuesta College Pipe Bridge, and the Vista Lago Adventure Park at Lopez Lake, as well as the installation of several sewer lift stations throughout Central California.
“We are happy to see it finally getting started. It has been a long time in the making and now it is here,” said Gary Waples, another Horizon Drive resident. “We will be even happier once we can abandon our septic system and not worry about rain filling it up. We are more than satisfied with the progress so far.”
According to the Horizon Sewer Project Report, the 8-inch PVC pipe sewer will extend the existing sewer on the Sanja Cota property south of Horizon Drive through an easement at a slope of 0.4%, the minimum slope allowable.
This will allow for further expansion to the north in the future, as well as provide protection of the groundwater basin.
The project report also estimated about five months between the beginning of construction and completion of construction.
“It’s a privilege to be the board that carried the ball over the line,” said board president Karen Jones. “We are all happy for the homeowners on Horizon Drive. They deserve access to our services, as they have been in our district for almost 30 years and can finally take advantage of our services.”
