CONCERN FOR GROUNDWATER MOUNTS; AQUIFER MANAGEMENT PLAN SLOW IN COMING.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

As demand for water continues to grow with the development of the Santa Clarita Valley, so does concern about the groundwater supply that is being tapped by area water companies.

Water officials have been saying for years that a groundwater management plan is needed for the valley, but so far no progress has been made. A regional agency that wholesales state water and four community retailers oversee the area's supply.

The Castaic Lake Water Agency provides state water to the retailers: the Newhall County Water District, the Valencia Water Co., the Santa Clarita Water Co. and Los Angeles County Waterworks.

Divvying up the groundwater supply can be difficult - and political.

To help solve the problem, state Sen. Cathie Wright, R-Simi Valley, proposed legislation in 1987 that added four new members - a representative from each of the community water retailers - to the Castaic Lake Water Agency's elected seven-member board. She called for the board to create a groundwater management plan.

An organized effort has become critical for the protection of the area's aquifer and the Santa Clara River, said Lynne Plambeck of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment.

Ventura County officials say The Newhall Land and Farming Company's Newhall Ranch development will lead to overpumping of groundwater and affect water quality downstream. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave its approval in November for the 21,000-home development west of the Golden State Freeway.

If area water officials do not take steps soon to draft a plan, state officials could be prodded by conservation organizations to go to court and take over the decision-making process, Plambeck said, at a loss of local control.

``Someone is going to object to the river being overpumped. And that someone is probably going to be the Sierra Club,'' Plambeck said. ``The court would establish how much each company can take. If the water companies can't do it themselves, there will be a citizens group that will do it.''

If water suppliers overpump from the aquifers, over time these natural storage areas are permanently damaged, and the area's water supply shrinks.

An effort has been made recently to draft a groundwater management plan. The Castaic Lake agency intended to include one in its Integrated Water Resources Plan for dealing with demands and supplies.

An outline of a groundwater management plan was delayed, however, while the agency works on buying the Santa Clarita Water Company, said Kiza Stratton, a spokeswoman for the agency.

The agency intends to draft a plan that will balance the use of state water and groundwater, Stratton said. A balanced use of water resources is the best way to protect the aquifer and prepare for drought years, water officials agree.

``We want to come up with the best conjunctive use,'' Stratton said. ``How are all water providers going to meet the formula, using recycled water, imported water and groundwater?''

Water officials generally agree the best way to meet future demand and protect the groundwater supply is to use imported water during the winter and let the aquifers recharge during the rainy season. Then groundwater can be used in summer.

If the Castaic Lake agency buys the private Santa Clarita Water Co., it would provide retail water to almost half the customers in the valley, Stratton said. The agency would have significant control over the area groundwater supply.

The Santa Clarita Water Co. serves about 21,000 customers; the Valencia Water Co., about 18,000; and the Newhall County Water District, about 6,500 connections. Los Angeles County Waterworks serves about 200 customers and uses only imported water, none from local groundwater.

The Santa Clarita Water Company and the Valencia Water Company are privately owned. As a result, they face less public pressure about water quality and are more concerned about profits, Plambeck said. Groundwater is of lower quality but cheaper at $90 per acre foot than imported state water at $145 per acre-foot, she said.

The Castaic Lake agency has no control over a private company's groundwater rights, Stratton said. ``If we purchase the Santa Clarita Water Company, we could exercise control over that groundwater,'' she said.