Ortega Highway Widening Utility Realignment Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026100293
Public Agency
Santa Margarita Water District
Document Title
Ortega Highway Widening Utility Realignment Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/9/2026
Document Description
The Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) proposes to remove and replace less than 1,000 feet of existing water and sewer pipelines as part of the utility realignment. The project consists of the relocation of an existing water pipelines to accommodate the Caltrans SR-74 Ortega Highway Widening Project. Project activities would include utility trenching, grading, and construction of retaining walls. Work would be conducted within a new temporary construction easement, and the pipelines would be relocated to a new SMWD utility easement. The purpose of the project is to implement the utility realignment of SMWD’s water and sewer pipelines while maintaining the integrity, reliability, and safe operation to accommodate the Caltrans SR-74 Ortega Highway Widening Project. Beneficiaries include SWMD and its customers, who rely on continued safe and reliable water service. The project involves no expansion of use of the relocated pipeline.
Contact Information
Name
Patricia Butler
Agency Name
Santa Margarita Water District
Job Title
Chief Engineer
Contact Types
Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
San Juan Capistrano
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Cross Streets
Palm Drive and Ortega Highway
Other Location Info
located Southeast of Palm Hill Drive and Northwest of Ortega Highway within landscaped land in the City of San Juan Capistrano
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15301(b)
Reasons for Exemption
The State CEQA Guidelines provide a series of categorical exemptions for projects that have been deemed to have minimal impacts on the environment. The proposed project, which consists of the relocation and reconstruction of the existing water and sewer pipelines to accommodate the Caltrans SR-74 Ortega Highway Widening Project, has been determined to have no potential to cause significant adverse effects on the environment and will ensure public safety and system reliability are maintained. Categorical Exemption Class 1 exempts “the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use, including but not limited to…b) existing facilities of both investor and publicly owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utility services”. The exceptions to the issuance of categorical exemptions have been evaluated for the proposed project to further substantiate the use of Categorical Exemption, Class 1 Existing Facilities 15301(b)) for this project. The proposed realignment has been determined not to have the potential to cause significant adverse environmental effects as a result of any construction or operational activities and will not result in the expansion of use of the relocated pipelines. Therefore, the proposed project qualifies for a Class 1 Exemption.
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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