Live Oak Canyon Road Still Closed for Sewer Line Repairs

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3 p.m.to include information on when the roadway is expected to reopen.

Reported by Patch Editors Guy McCarthy and Renee Schiavone:

Live Oak Canyon Road remained closed to through traffic Tuesday July 30 between the Pumpkin Patch at Interstate 10 and San Timoteo Canyon Road.

The closure is for ongoing repairs to a sewer line near the Pumpkin Patch, according to workers contracted by Yucaipa Water District.

Yucaipa Valley Water District officials initially said the closure could last several days when a sewer mainline ruptured on July 16. 

“The leak resulted in the release of about 2,000 gallons of untreated sewage, which was contained in the immediate vicinity of the leak,” said YVWD General Manager Joseph Zoba in an emailed statement.  “The affected area is not over a recharge zone and there are no public or private water wells in the immediate area.”

On Tuesday, district officials told Patch they expect the repairs to be complete, and the roadway reopen, this weekend.

"That's our plan at this point," said agency Spokesman Jeff Crider.

According to Crider, work took longer than first anticipated because the water district decided to completely replace about a half mile stretch of the damaged pipeline, rather than just patch it up.  What's more, construction crews had to wait for parts to get to the site from Fresno and Phoenix, delaying the bypass pipeline replacement.

Click here to read the original report and see a map of the closure.