California Water Service Completes Two Salinas Water Infrastructure Upgrades, Starts Two More To Improve Water Supply Reliability and Fire Protection

SALINAS, Calif.—California Water Service (Cal Water) recently completed two water infrastructure upgrades and has begun work on two more projects to enhance water supply reliability and fire protection in Salinas. Crews recently completed two projects replacing a total of 5,320 feet of aging water main, and have started installing another 3,952 feet of main to help strengthen the water system for residential customers and businesses in the area.

“Water is a precious resource, and our crews are working around the clock to maintain and upgrade our water systems so we can continuously improve our ability to deliver safe, clean, and reliable water to our Salinas communities,” said Brenda Granillo, Cal Water’s Salinas District Manager. “All of the work that we do is an investment back to the community, because it’s centered around providing quality, service, and value to our customers for their everyday and emergency needs.”

One of the two new main replacement projects is taking place in downtown Salinas. There, crews are installing 2,200 feet of 8-inch main, along with five hydrants and 16 new water service connections on Lincoln Avenue, from Avenue B to West Alisal Street, just east of Salinas High School. Work on the project, which is scheduled to be completed in May, is taking place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some overnight and weekend work is expected to reduce traffic in the area.

Meanwhile, in east Salinas, crews have begun work on a second main replacement project to install 1,752 feet of new 12-inch water main and 73 feet of 6-inch main on Alisal Street, from Pearl Street to North Sanborn. Crews are working on this project, which is scheduled to be completed in July, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the second phase of a project that started in 2025 to install 2,026 feet of new water main, nine hydrants, and 46 new water service connections. The first phase replaced main on Alisal from Kern to Pearl streets.

The projects are part of Cal Water’s Main Replacement Program. Implemented in 2014, the program’s focus is on proactively replacing aging infrastructure, while maximizing the existing infrastructure’s life to help prevent small, manageable issues from getting bigger and more expensive to fix.

As part of this program, crews recently completed installation of 2,052 feet of new 8-inch water main, five new hydrants, and 55 new services on Roosevelt Street, from Kern Street to North Pearl Street, near La Paz Park. In the same vicinity, crews also wrapped up installation of 2,428 feet of 8-inch water main, eight new hydrants, and 48 new services on Roosevelt Street, from North Madeira Avenue to Pearl Street, and into the intersection of East Market Street and North Pearl Street.

About California Water Service

California Water Service provides high-quality, reliable water utility services to about 126,620 people through 29,000 service connections in Salinas, and more than 2 million people statewide through 500,000 service connections. Cal Water’s purpose is to enhance the quality of life for customers and communities. To do so, it invests responsibly in water and wastewater infrastructure, sustainability initiatives, and community well-being. The company’s 1,200 employees live by a set of strong core values and share a commitment to protecting the planet, caring for people, and operating with the utmost integrity. The utility, commemorating a century of service this year, has been named one of “America’s Most Responsible Companies” and one of the “World’s Most Trustworthy Companies” by Newsweek, a USA Top Workplace, and a Great Place to Work®. More information is available at www.calwater.com.

# # #

Released April 30, 2026