BUILDER BATTLES WATER AGENCY LAWSUIT FILED, POLITICS USED.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Robinson Ranch, the developer that sidestepped a city requirement designed to conserve well water, is fighting on two fronts to reduce the cost of piping in water from outside sources.

The developer of two golf courses and 72 homes in Canyon Country is suing the Castaic Lake Water Agency in a dispute over hookup fees and is seeking state legislation to change the formula that determines those charges.

Robinson Ranch wants to separate its two golf courses from the rest of the development for the purpose of water fees, said Ted Robinson Jr., a principal with the development company. The company wants to buy municipal water to serve the homes and club house, and plans to draw on well water to irrigate the two 18-hole courses.

``The Castaic Lake Water Agency said, you have a clubhouse and you have a golf course in the back yard. They don't want to differentiate,'' Robinson said. ``We don't want to pay for a service we don't need.''

But the water agency bases its fees on annual water need - regardless of the source of the water, agency General Manager Robert Sagehorn said. That ensures that developers pay for water facilities to accommodate growth and that they have access to water if private supplies run dry.

Robinson Ranch was approved by the city of Santa Clarita on the condition that the developer not drill a well on the property. But Robinson Ranch skirted the condition and acquired neighboring land and drilled a well there to serve the project, a violation, city officials said, of the intent of the law.

The city opted not to take action, determining the developer had found a legal loophole.

But Robinson Ranch has yet to settle its water woes.

A state Senate bill that would change the rules in transferring state water entitlements was amended last month at the urging of Robinson Ranch to include an unrelated provision to alter the way the CLWA charges customers.

State Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, agreed to alter his bill, convinced that Robinson Ranch is being charged an excessive rate to hook up to the State Water system.

``They say they don't need that much water, but the water agency says they have to follow their preset formula regardless of whether they also use well water,'' said Gareth Elliott, a legislative aide to Perata.

``They have another source, but if they eventually need more water they would pay a higher fee.''

The CLWA's board is on record opposing the bill, claiming developers must pay a share the costs of delivering the water - including the costs of treatment plants, reservoirs and other infrastructure. Hookup also offers insurance that water would be provided should the private well run dry, Sagehorn said.

At the same time, Robinson Ranch is pursuing legal action against the water agency's Santa Clarita Water Division, the former privately held Santa Clarita Water Co. The CLWA, Robinson said, bought the water company and didn't honor its contract with the development.

Robinson said he believes that the CLWA is trying to force the developer to abandon its well and buy municipal water, an illegal attempt to manage the groundwater supply.

``They're trying to assume control of the groundwater basin, but under state law the individual property owner reserves the right to drill on his property,'' he said. ``The Castaic Lake Water Agency is trying to control groundwater without going through the public process, and we think that's wrong.''

Sagehorn countered that the agency is only trying to cover its costs, treat the developer the same as other builders and ensure a supply of water for Robinson Ranch.

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Developers of this land in Canyon Country don't want to pay the local water fees, so they're backing a change in state law and suing the Castaic Lake Water Agency.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News