Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, testified in front of the Commission on State Mandates Board on Friday in response to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board Test Claim for the Upper Santa Clara River Chloride requirements being imposed on the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District. Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste and Santa Clarita City Council Member TimBen Boydston also joined Assemblyman Wilk.

“There is no sound science to support a chloride standard of 100 parts per million that the Board is requiring Santa Clarita Valley to meet,” Wilk said. “Requiring 265,000 residents to shoulder the burden of $130 million capital cost and $4.1 million in annual operating costs to discharge water in a better condition than we receive from the State Water Project defies logic.”

Federal law states that water must be cleaned up to a standard that benefits downstream users.  Santa Clara River Valley downstream users include avocado and strawberry farmers, as well as nursery plants.

Wilk concluded his testimony by stating “the City of Thousand Oaks which is also under the authority of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and has the same downstream users of avocado, strawberry and nursery plant farmers, has to comply with a chloride standard of 150 parts per million. If Santa Clarita Valley residents were held to the same standard as Thousand Oaks we would not be before you today.”

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board could not confirm or deny this claim and the Commission on State Mandates Board ultimately came to a final vote of 5 yes and 1 abstention to uphold the unfunded mandate placing the responsibility at the local level.

Wilk represents the 38th Assembly District, which includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley.