On May 5, 2026, a 24-inch steel water main gave way under the intersection of Agoura Road and Lindero Canyon Road. Crews fixed the leak right away. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District later wrote that the break caused "major disruption of traffic and damages to the roadway at one of the busiest intersections in the City of Westlake Village."
The lane shifts and flaggers between Lindero Canyon and Lakeview Canyon this fall go back to that morning. The signs credit the Pure Water Project, and that is accurate. But the board record shows the corridor ended up with one long dig because of that break. Without it, the intersection was in line for two separate digs, with the Pure Water work not scheduled to start until the next fiscal year.
One intersection, three breaks
The May leak was not the first at that corner. The August 10, 2026 staff report to the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority board lists the history:
- July 2023. A water main break at Agoura Road and Lindero Canyon.
- August 2023. Another break at the same intersection.
- 2026 budget cycle. Because of the breaks and the "deteriorated condition of the pipeline's coating," LVMWD had already listed relocating the main as an upcoming capital project.
- May 5, 2026. A third break on the same 24-inch steel main.
- July 7, 2026. The LVMWD board raised the limit on its on-call pipeline repair and paving contract with Toro Enterprises, Inc. so the relocation of two potable water lines could be done on an "urgent and expedited" basis.
So a replacement that was on the schedule became an emergency. The board item frames it the same way, saying staff determined that "advancing the planned replacement of this line is necessary."
The pipe that was scheduled for next year
The Pure Water Project needed to dig up the same intersection anyway. The JPA had been preparing to lay a reverse osmosis concentrate pipeline there, plus an extension of a recycled water line. That work was "scheduled to begin construction in the same intersection starting next fiscal year."
Left alone, those plans would have opened Agoura and Lindero Canyon twice: once for the emergency water main work and again for Pure Water. Instead, the JPA said that "based on discussions with the City of Westlake Village and to minimize overall impact to the City's residents," it would have Toro Enterprises install the Pure Water pipelines in the intersection at the same time. Staff described the emergency repair as "a strategic opportunity" to move the larger project forward.
The board item breaks the shared trench into four pieces and two budgets:
| What goes in the ground | Why | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Two relocated potable water mains | Replace the line that broke in 2023 and again in May 2026 | LVMWD |
| Recycled water pipeline extension | Pure Water Project infrastructure, moved up from next fiscal year | JPA, through the Pure Water budget |
| Reverse osmosis concentrate pipeline | Pure Water Project infrastructure, moved up from next fiscal year | JPA, through the Pure Water budget |
| Roadway restoration | Required after excavation | Tracked and split between the two |
Staff estimated about $3.5 million to finish all the work at the intersection. It is being done on a time-and-materials basis under the existing Toro Enterprises contract, and the report says no extra appropriation is needed. The fourth row comes from the corridor description, which lists "temporary roadway restoration" among the crews' tasks.
Where the crews are, and when they work
The work zone now covers more than the intersection. It runs along Agoura Road from Lindero Canyon Road to Lakeview Canyon Road, past the Westlake Golf Course on the project's map.
The project's Westlake Village page, updated for the week of October 19, had crews installing pipeline near Knightsgate Road and moving west toward Greengate Court. The crew moves every week, so check the current week's update for where it is now. Here is what the page lists for the corridor:
- Work: asphalt removal, excavation, pipeline installation and repairs, underground equipment, temporary roadway restoration
- Hours: Monday through Friday, about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the same page says the job includes daytime and nighttime construction
- Traffic: temporary lane closures, lane shifts, turn restrictions, parking restrictions and flaggers as each phase moves along
- Access: homes and businesses stay reachable "whenever possible," following posted signs and traffic-control crews
- Duration: about four to six months
Valley News Group's October 9 report on the start of the work also mentions the night shifts. It says homes and businesses near the work area may see construction activity "during evening and overnight periods." Four to six months from October puts the likely finish between February and April 2027. The project says weather and field conditions can change that.
The same page has notice of a high-wind week. Crews were adding sandbags and safety signs and securing staging yards across northwest Los Angeles and eastern Ventura County. Signs and barriers can shift on windy days.
What the trench connects to
The water main relocation solves a local problem. The Pure Water pipelines are part of the largest water project the area has taken on. In plain terms, the project takes recycled water from the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility and purifies it at a new Advanced Water Purification Facility on Agoura Road using membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection with advanced oxidation. Then it pipes the water to Las Virgenes Reservoir, where it blends with existing supplies before more treatment at the Westlake Filtration Plant and delivery to customers.
The purification plant is under construction at 30800 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills. The concentrate pipeline going in at Lindero Canyon is one of the lines that will serve it. Oliver Slosser, Engineering Program Manager at Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, explained to Valley News Group why the Westlake Village stretch matters:
"This pipeline work along Agoura Road is essential to connecting the pieces of the Pure Water Project and keeping it on track to deliver a new, local source of drinking water to our communities."
The program is large. The district's September 18, 2026 financing announcement puts the project at $466 million. It says the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Public Financing Authority has secured more than $335 million in low-cost state and federal financing toward it: $84 million in loans and grants from the State Water Resources Control Board and a $251 million WIFIA loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. At full operation, the announcement says, the project could supply up to 30% of the region's annual water needs.
Seen against that total, the roughly $3.5 million job at Lindero Canyon is small. It is also the part of the program that runs along roads Westlake Village drivers use every day.
The dates on the far end
The Agoura Road crews will be gone long before any purified water arrives. The project's construction FAQ says construction started in spring 2026 and runs through fall 2028. Pipeline and facility testing follow through winter 2029/2030, and operations are expected to begin in spring 2030. The September financing announcement gives a target of operating "by 2030." Both dates are projections and could move.
For the Lindero-to-Lakeview stretch, the Westlake Village construction page posts a new update each week and keeps the older ones as PDFs going back to the week of August 17, 2026. The page has a sign-up form for Westlake Village updates, and the Project Outreach Team takes calls at (818) 245-4440. For Westlake Village homeowners, the timing of a sale, a remodel or a move-in can now depend on which block of Agoura Road the crews are on that week. The Westlake Village neighborhood guide has more on the area itself.
If you're planning a sale, a purchase or a renovation near the Agoura Road corridor this winter, The Kumar Group can help you time showings, inspections and closing dates around the construction schedule. Let's Connect.
