SANTA CRUZ >> With the start of the Newell Creek Pipeline relocation project on the horizon, the city of Santa Cruz Water Department will hold an online community meeting March 12 to discuss its associated construction and traffic impacts.

Construction is slated to begin this spring and will last about two years, according to a statement from the city. The work will occur from the Graham Hill Road and East Zayante Road intersection in Felton, and down Graham Hill Road to Henry Cowell Drive.

During storms in recent years, the Newell Creek Pipeline, which is the main artery supplying water from Loch Lomond Reservoir to the Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant, was damaged numerous times with repairs needed in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. The existing pipeline was built in the 1960s through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

The replacement and relocation project is part of the city’s Climate Resilient Santa Cruz initiative and will replace and move the pipeline out of the state park and align it with Graham Hill Road to avoid environmentally sensitive areas and similar storm-related damages in the future.

Although the exact start date for construction was not given, the city stated that when it does begin this spring, temporary traffic delays are expected. Construction will occur weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will start at the 4600 block of Graham Hill Road and head south toward Lockwood Lane. The city does not anticipate the project will interrupt water or other utility services during construction.

The roughly $29 million pipeline replacement and relocation project is funded through fees collected from Santa Cruz Water Department customers and in part by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund through the State Water Resources Control Board.

The community meeting about the project will be held at noon March 12 online via Zoom. For information, visit cityofsantacruz.com.