DISPUTE SPRINGS FROM WELL; CITY SAYS DEVELOPER VIOLATED `SPIRIT' OF AGREEMENT.

Byline: Jason Takenouchi Staff Writer

The developer of a 36-hole golf course community here has set off fireworks by building, and apparently operating, a massive well without city permission.

The 403-acre Robinson Ranch development, spearheaded by Robinson Development Services Inc. of Laguna Nigel, was originally slated to get its water from a local retailer. But city staffers say Robinson Development violated the ``spirit'' of a development agreement by sinking a well alongside the Santa Clara River.

The Robinson Ranch well could eventually pump as much as 900 acre-feet - or more than 290 million gallons - of groundwater from the Santa Clara River aquifer each year. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons of water.

That has environmentalists and nearby residents up in arms.

``The river is already being overdrafted, particularly in that area,'' said Lynne Plambeck, first vice president of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment.

Allen Penrose, an Oak Canyon resident whose property abuts the project, said residents are particularly concerned because groundwater is scarce in the late summer months. Most homeowners in the area are not connected into the valley water system and depend on their own wells for water.

``It's very touchy right now,'' Penrose said. ``Anything that would impact our groundwater is probably going to affect quite a lot of people.''

Santa Clarita City Planner Jason Smisko said the city is processing an amendment to the original agreement that would allow the well.

But Thursday afternoon the well appeared to be already in operation. Its electrical meter was in place, the well itself was humming with activity, and water was dripping from the well tower.

Robinson Ranch general partner Ted Robinson Jr. said the well is active but is not being used extensively.

``The well is up and operating,'' he said. ``We've conducted pump tests and such, but we're not actively using it.''

Robinson said the company has all the permits it needs to operate the well and has filed to pump as much as 900 acre-feet from the well annually. Nonpotable water from the well could provide water for the golf courses and other on-site vegetation; the Santa Clarita Water Co. will provide water for the 72 homes that also are part of the development, Robinson said.

When the project was first presented to the city, nearby residents pushed planners to restrict the development's use of groundwater. The City Council approved the plan in 1996 but prohibited the developer from using an on-site well.

The project's new well is actually located to the north of the Robinson Ranch property, on undeveloped land also owned by the developer. Pipes connect the off-site well to the golf course project.

While the well is technically off-site, ``it violated the spirit of the condition,'' said Smisko.

If the city finds that the developer is using the well to irrigate the project, it could act to stop the pumping, Smisko said.

``There are a number of responses we could make,'' he said. ``But I'm not sure what they would be at this point.''

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Map

Map: Robinson Ranch golf course

Proposed annexation