CLWA EYES FUNDING FOR CLEANUP JOB WATER AGENCY PLANS LOBBYING STRATEGY FOR FUTURE.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The Castaic Lake Water Agency is mapping its federal and state lobbying strategy for coming year, including designs on at least $13 million from Washington, D.C., for local groundwater decontamination.

A top priority for the agency managing the Santa Clarita Valley's state water allocation is to convince lawmakers to provide funds to remove perchlorate from defunct defense operations that have tainted local sources, according a Jan. 12 year-end report from federal lobbyist Anchor Consulting LLC.

Possible funding sources include: $3 million from the 2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Act and $10 million from the 2007 Defense Appropriations Act, which has an account for environmental remediation. The agency also is angling for $1.5 million from the 2007 Interior Appropriations Act for its wastewater treatment program.

The agency spent $224,816 in the 2004-05 fiscal year on legislative planning and lobbying.

``This is why you have a lobbyist,'' said William Pecsi, president of CLWA's board of directors, said Monday. ``They're familiar with the sources of funding that could be applied. You have to craft the issue in order to make a connection with the legislators to have them support the effort.''

CLWA has an estimated $15.3 million two-step program to filter for perchlorate and drill three replacement wells expected to begin this year. The chemical, which according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could interfere with thyroid function in large doses, has seeped into local aquifers through the former Whittaker-Bermite property along Soledad Canyon Road.

Besides federal funds, the agency also is expecting money coming from an settlement with former Bermite property owner Remedial Financial Inc. The Phoenix-based developer recently resolved its chapter 11 bankruptcy in court.

``Hopefully, we're going to make a lot of headway with regards to the perchlorate cleanup,'' Pecsi said. ``That has been a major focus for the agency. We're hoping to make major strides in terms of a system for cleanup in the coming year.''

In Sacramento, CLWA lobbyists are monitoring how various state infrastructure bond proposals - including the $50 million bond measure floated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - could could affect local water projects.

``The difficult task is to clearly define our infrastructure needs amongst the various competing demands and set a realistic dollar amount acceptable to the public on the November 2006 general election ballot,'' according to a Jan. 3 California Advocates, Inc. memo to the CLWA.

Other proposals range from a $3.5 billion bond measure for safe drinking water and a $1 billion bond to fund regional water management plans, flood control and surface storage studies.

``It's a review of the water bonds to see which is in the best interest for Castaic,'' Pecsi said.

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com