DWP WANTS RESERVOIR TO BE EDUCATIONAL SITE.

Byline: Beth Barrett Daily News Staff Writer

Abandoning its yearlong fight over use of the Chatsworth Reservoir, the Department of Water and Power has drafted an action plan that would keep the 1,300 acres as a nature preserve but allow daily educational tours, the Daily News learned Monday.

The ``Chatsworth Reservoir Site Action Plan,'' to be considered today, calls for finding a partner, such as the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy or the Los Angeles Zoo, to help develop the reservoir's educational possibilities.

And it leaves open potential future use, recommending formation of an advisory committee, with a cross-section of community, environmental, sports and other interest to oversee its management.

Councilman Hal Bernson, who long has fought efforts to develop the reservoir for recreational or other uses, said he was generally pleased with the plan although he mistrusts the DWP and wants the land transferred to another agency.

``I want the reservoir forever safe,'' Bernson said, adding he favors greater public access but only for passive recreational uses such as walking trails.

``I want to make sure it's there for the future, not for golf or for soccer kids from Calabasas and Woodland Hills,'' Bernson said.

The action plan recommends the least obtrusive of seven options studied earlier this year by the DWP, including softball and soccer fields, a golf course or selling the land for up to $100 million for housing.

``It should be stated clearly that the department has not and is not now considering any development plans for the Chatsworth Reservoir site,'' the three-page document states. ``No areas are slated for sale or for any change in current usage.''

DWP Commission President Rick Caruso, who helped draft the plan and has previously challenged Bernson, could not be reached from comment.

Frank Salas, DWP spokesman, said the action plan reflects the department's assessment, taking into account public testimony last month that largely favored preservation.

He added that the action plan's silence on sports fields doesn't necessarily mean they will be excluded forever.

``That remains an open policy issue,'' he said.

Residents near the reservoir and preservationists were delighted with the DWP stand.

``This is a tremendous milestone,'' said Rosemarie White, a Valley Village resident and president of the nonprofit Canada Goose Project.

``It is significant for the entire city of Los Angeles. All the schoolchildren and families will benefit from the respectful use of this nature preserve.''

Sports enthusiasts who had hoped a corner of the 1,300 acres in the western San Fernando Valley could be carved out for youth and adult athletic fields were disappointed.

``I think it stinks,'' said Dave Berman, president of West Valley Girls Softball, which has sued the city with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, claiming there is a discriminatory lack of sports fields for girls.

``All those acres there and they couldn't squeeze out a few so some kids could recreate,'' Berman said.

The reservoir area is roughly the same size as the Hansen Dam Recreation Area and two-thirds the acreage of Sepulveda Basin.

DWP officials said they are committed and financially able to continue to preserve the reservoir, which they have estimated costs about $250,000 a year.

The action plan said the DWP would like to find a full-time director to manage the maintenance, do outreach for educational purposes and coordinate grants and other funding in concert with a partner agency.

The DWP would like City Council approval of the plan to help settle a number of management issues and other matters.

The department has met with the conservancy and would consider other groups such as the zoo, environmental organizations and the historical society, according to the plan.

The goal then would be to open the reservoir seven days a week, except during the fire-hazard months of summer, for guided tours to show ``how much of the San Fernando Valley looked 100 years ago,'' the plan says. Schoolchildren would be a primary focus of the outreach.

White said there is much to see in the reservoir, including right now the rare sight of a nesting Canada goose. White's organization would like to bring back larger flocks of the migratory birds, which over the years have dwindled from ``thousands to hundreds'' each year, she said.

``People really do not get it, how important this is, a place where several complete, intact ecosystems can be found and studied,'' she added. ``It's phenomenally beautiful.''