header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 28
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir


[KHTS] The Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District governing board voted 3-0 to adopt a chloride plan expected to gradually increase the fees for district ratepayers.

The move came after a pair of lengthy public hearings, hours of public comment and discussion and the withdrawal of support for a collaborative alternative by Ventura County interests.

Sanitation District staffers initially recommended the board adopt a phased plan to lower the chloride level in water sent downstream from the Santa Clara River watershed, however that plan was nixed when Ventura County interests indicated they would not support an adjustment of the state’s mandated chloride limit.

The state’s Regional Water Quality Control Board set a deadline of Oct. 31 for the Sanitation District to approve a plan that would lower the chloride level in water treated at two local plants, one in Valencia and another in Saugus.

The chloride deadline

If the Sanitation District failed to meet the deadline, ratepayers would not only bear the brunt of fines from the state, but also would be ultimately compelled to pay the cost of compliance, said Sam Unger, executive director for the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The meeting started with a presentation responding to criticism and questions regarding the district staff’s recommendation, including why the recommendation had changed from the roundly criticized Alternative 4 to Alternative 2.

One of the commonly heard complaints was that the district should sue, including claims by the Clean Water Alliance, which assailed the research behind the district staff’s report on the four chloride options for the governing board.

“There are a lot of good reasons on why we shouldn’t litigate,” said Nicole Granquist, special counsel for the Sanitation District, specializing in water and environmental litigation.

“The probability of success is very low and there has never been a successful challenge of (the state’s) TMDL,” Granquist said. “When you couple (the probability of success) with expense, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Public comment included various Santa Clarita Valley public officials who seemed to share the feeling that, while spending millions on chloride treatment wasn’t necessarily palatable, it was preferred over millions in fines on top of having to pay for chloride treatment.

The Sanitation District was given the Oct. 31 deadline as part of a fine settlement for previously missing a deadline to come up with a compliance plan.

The district was fined $280,000 last year, which district officials negotiated down to $225,000 on the condition that a chloride treatment plan be approved by the end of the month.

At one point in the meeting, Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar, who’s on the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District’s governing board, along with Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Laurene Weste and Supervisor Michael Antonovich, asked Unger to put the fines the district would be facing if they opted not to comply with the chloride plan.

Unger said a fair characterization would be to describe the $225,000 as “a drop in the bucket” compared to what could happen if the district chose to remain out of compliance.

Unger further went on to say the fines could tally $10,000 each day of noncompliance, dating back to last year, in addition to $10 per gallon for each of the 20 million gallons the district treats each day, although he prefaced that by saying the district has never levied a maximum fine.

Water treatment costs

Based on the recommendations of staff and a lack of viable alternatives, the Sanitation District’s governing board OK’ed Alternative 2, which would be deep-well injection costing $130 million and expected to gradually raise rates and connection fees.

“For a typically sized 3,000 square foot restaurant, there will be a 27 percent increase (in connection fees),” said Phil Friess, chair of the Sanitation District’s Technical Services Department, “with that increase slowly phased in from 2019 to 2039.”

When the plan is phased in, the connection cost is expected to increase by $4,134 in 2019, and then gradually go up until it reaches $140,565 in 2039.

New business won’t see a difference in the one-time cost for connection fees until the plan comes online because those costs are associated with operations and maintenance, said Dave Bruns, assistant department head for financial management.

The construction is expected to be online by the fiscal year 2019, according to estimates from district staff.

However, the average ratepayer should expect to see a cost much sooner, which could happen as early as next year, Bruns said, if the Sanitation District governing board approves staff members’ current plan.

“We’ll do that to pay for part of the project out of cash, which would lower the amount that we would have to finance,” Bruns said. “It lowers that cost.”

The increase, again, if approved, would start at about $30 to $32 a year more than what ratepayers now pay each year.

“Pretty much the numbers that we had run would go in a straight line,” Bruns said, adding “to the degree that we can get any state or federal funding, that’s going to lower that number.”

The current rate for Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District ratepayers is $247, if they use the average amount of water for a single-family home. For a condominium owner, that rate is $203, and the increases are also slightly less.

The total cost for ratepayers is expected to bring their total annual bill to $410.

Is the chloride-water fight over?

During Monday’s two-hour meeting, Sanitation District officials said they had exhausted all of their options in regard to working with Ventura County for a lower chloride limit.

It was only because the district had run out of time and support from downstream users that staffers recommended Alternative 2, Friess said.

E. Michael Solomon, general manager for the United Water Conservation District, a representative for the Ventura County water users who were mentioned repeatedly Monday, expressed exasperation with Santa Clarita Valley interests over their inability to reach the state’s chloride level.

“Ventura County stakeholders have been trying to work with you and our staff for several years to try to identify a cost-effective means,” Solomon said. “We appreciate the diligence… we believe they negotiated in good faith.

“With that said, the (Sanitation District) has only made partial progress toward complying with its legal obligation to halt contamination of the Santa Clara River with excessive levels of chloride,” he said.

“Santa Clarita is still no closer to achieving the state-mandated goal than it was 10 years ago,” he added.

To that end, Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, spoke during the public comment portion to offer support for a legislative plan to limit the ability of state agencies to set “arbitrary” limits for contaminants such as chloride.

There’s also an administrative battle being fought by Sanitation District staffers who are looking to the state to fund what they are calling an unfunded mandate.

A hearing next year in front of the Commission on State Mandates would negate the cost to Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District ratepayers if they can successfully claim that the state is mandating the chloride limit without

An initial staff report doesn’t seem promising for the Sanitation District’s challenge. The report recommended denying the district’s claim.

“Essentially, the constitution requires the state to reimburse local governments for any state-mandated new program or higher level of service,” said Heather Halsey, executive director for the Commission on State Mandates. “And here, what staff has found is that the requirement is actually a reduced level of service compared to the previous (chloride allowance).”

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
California Launches New Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign
The California Department of Public Health launched the “Never a Bother” campaign, a youth suicide prevention public awareness and outreach campaign for youth, young adults, and their parents, caregivers, and allies.
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
April 20: Santa Clarita Master Chorale’s Cabaret, Cabernet Fundraiser
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale invites the community to "Let the Sunshine In," a delightful evening of food, wine and song at the annual Cabaret & Cabernet fundraising benefit.
Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Prohibit ‘Derogatory’ School Mascot Names
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) and Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) have introduced AB 3074 the "School or athletic team names: California Racial Mascots Act."
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir
The California Department of Public Health launched the “Never a Bother” campaign, a youth suicide prevention public awareness and outreach campaign for youth, young adults, and their parents, caregivers, and allies.
California Launches New Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale invites the community to "Let the Sunshine In," a delightful evening of food, wine and song at the annual Cabaret & Cabernet fundraising benefit.
April 20: Santa Clarita Master Chorale’s Cabaret, Cabernet Fundraiser
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters:
March 27 Ocean Water Warning
As an integral ingredient necessary to help the Santa Clarita Valley to flourish, feedback from the business community is the secret sauce for achieving great things.
SCVEDEC Asks For the Business Community’s Opinion on Santa Clarita
Raise your heart rate while raising funds for the Santa Clarita Sister Cities Dollars-for-Desks campaign to provide school desks for students in Sariaya, Santa Clarita's Sister City in the Philippines.
April 13: Sister Cities Zumba-thon Fundraiser
Remo, Inc. is is the world's leading manufacturer and developer of synthetic drumheads and shells. They’ve been in business for 60 years
SCVEDC Company Spotlight: Drumming Up Big Business with Remo, Inc.
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) and Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) have introduced AB 3074 the "School or athletic team names: California Racial Mascots Act."
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Prohibit ‘Derogatory’ School Mascot Names
Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department  in collaboration with Local Initiatives Support Corporation Los Angeles is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Pitch Competition for the cohorts of JCOD's Incubation Academy.
March 28: JCOD Incubation Academy Helps Grassroots Non-Profits For the Second Year
Children’s Bureau is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
April 18: Children’s Bureau Hosts Virtual Orientation
The Sunburst track was constructed in 1887 by the Southern Pacific Railroad and was a part of the main line running between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Enjoy Spring With a Ride On The Sunburst Track
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a Personal Finance Summit today where he announced his support for Assembly Bill 2927 (McCarty), legislation that would require a personal finance education course for California high school graduation.
State Superintendent Announces Support for Personal Finance Graduation Requirement
1847 - Probable birth date of Pico Canyon oil driller Charles Alexander Mentry [story]
C.A. Mentry
The first Music Jam Session at The MAIN was held on Thursday, Feb. 22 and was a hit. Come out and join in for the next one on Thursday, March 28 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
March 28: The MAIN to Host Musicians’ Jam Session
Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman of the Office of Inspector General has issued a report entitled "Tenth Report Back on Implementing Body-Worn Cameras in Los Angeles County."
Office of Inspector General Issues Latest Report on LASD Body Cams
College of the Canyons women's tennis played to a convincing 7-2 conference win over Ventura College on Moica to strengthen its potential playoff resume.
Canyons Closes Out Ventura 7-2 in Final Home Match
Join the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce with the Latino Business Alliance at the Cinco de Mayo Networking Celebration on Tuesday, May 7.
May 7: Latino Business Alliance Cinco de Mayo Celebration
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control is hosting March Meowness promotion where all cat adoptions are just $15 from now until April 9.
Adopt a Cat During March Meowness at Castaic Animal Center
California State University, Northridge is partnering with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and the Tataviam Land Conservancy to battle the impact of climate change in disadvantaged communities throughout the San Fernando Valley by establishing “urban forests.”
CSUN Partners with Fernandeño Tataviam Band to Build Urban Forests
Join the Santa Clarita Artists Association on Monday, April 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 23630 Valencia Blvd., Valencia, CA 91355, for the SCAA monthly meeting and guest demonstrator.
April 15: SCAA Presents Debbie Abshear Watercolor Demo
Residents are invited to join members of the Santa Clarita City Council for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the addition of Santa Clarita's 38th park, Skyline Ranch Park, 18355 Skyline Ranch Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91351, to the Santa Clarita parks system on Saturday, April 6, at 10 a.m.
April 6: Grand Opening for Santa Clarita’s 38th Park
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center is preparing for the annual fundraising event, Celebrity Waiter, with the theme “California Dreamin’” on Saturday, April 27 at Bella Vida, 27180 Golden Valley Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91351.
Table Sponsorships Still Available for Celebrity Waiter Dinner
Springtime in Santa Clarita brings not only vibrant blooms and opportunities to embrace the outdoors with warmer weather, but also an array of free, family-friendly events and this Saturday is no exception.
Ken Striplin | A Fun, Festive, Egg-Filled Day
SCVNews.com