Metropolitan Offers Compromise Allowing Pepper Trees to Stay in Placerita Canyon Neighborhood.

LOS ANGELES -- A line of nearly 100 pepper trees would remain in a Placerita Canyon neighborhood under a compromise offered today by Metropolitan Water District officials.

Metropolitan board Chairman Wes Bannister offered an option that the non-native trees, which the district originally ordered removed, could stay if the city of Santa Clarita agreed to care for and maintain them and indemnify Metropolitan from any further responsibility and risk.

"If the city agrees, this would be a mutually beneficial settlement for everyone involved," Bannister said. "This would satisfy the local neighbors, meet the needs of the city and cover Metropolitan and 18 million ratepayers."

Metropolitan ordered businessman Hank Arklin, who had leased the 10-acre site from Metropolitan since 1985 for a storage company, to remove the pepper trees as part of the lease agreement, which the district was terminating. Without the district's permission, Arklin planted the trees about 10 years ago as a way of screening his storage operations from neighbors.

Today, the line of highly invasive trees, some of which are more than 40 feet tall, grow close to Metropolitan's Foothill Feeder, a major water supply line that provides drinking water for about 7 million people in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties.

Metropolitan has been exploring options with Santa Clarita city representatives after local residents complained about the removal of the trees. In a related action, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved a motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich calling on the board to encourage Metropolitan to let the trees remain.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving 18 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.