NEW LAW OF LITTLE IMPACT PROJECTS' FATE UNAFFECTED.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - A new, tougher standard requiring developers of large housing projects to prove they have enough water before they build will probably not affect the two major developments pending in the Santa Clarita Valley, both sides in the debate agree.

The law, which was signed last month by Gov. Gray Davis, targets new subdivisions of 500 or more homes and would apply to The Newhall Land and Farming Co.'s Newhall Ranch project and PacSun LLP's Golden Valley Ranch development.

``It really won't change anything we do,'' said Santa Clarita planning manager Vince Bertoni. ``We're ahead of the curve in many ways.''

Bertoni said Santa Clarita requires developers of large projects to complete an environmental impact report, which covers much of the same ground required by the new law, Senate Bill 221.

However, environmentalists said the new law does nothing to resolve the fundamental problem of water in Southern California, and doesn't prevent water agencies from overstating supplies and relying on entitlements from the State Water Project that cannot be delivered.

``They are avoiding the issue and refusing to admit there is a problem,'' said Lynne Plambeck, an environmental watchdog and a director of the Newhall County Water District. ``They can still pull a number out of the air.''

Agencies and developers began placing more of an emphasis on water planning after a Kern County judge overturned the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' approval of the 21,600-home Newhall Ranch project, blocking construction until Newhall Land proved there was enough water for the mini-city.

Residents of Newhall Ranch are expected to demand 5.7 billion gallons of water a year, and the company plans to bolster state water supplies with overflow from Castaic Creek and water from Kern County suppliers, while storing water for dry years in underground banks and building a recycling plant to use waste water to water lawns and a nearby golf course.

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission agreed with Newhall Land earlier this year, finding there was enough water for the project. The Board of Supervisors will take up the project again Jan. 22.

The new water requirement is unlikely to halt projects throughout the state, even during droughts, as developers follow Newhall Land's lead and arrange deals to buy extra water, state officials said.

The other major development on the horizon in Santa Clarita is Golden Valley Ranch, a 530-home project planned east of the Antelope Valley Freeway near Golden Valley Road.

The Santa Clarita City Council will reconsider its earlier rejection of the development early next year, after a final study of the land's geology is reviewed.

The project, which will use about 1.3 billion gallons of water a year, will rely on a combination of state water and groundwater provided by the Santa Clarita Water Co., said developer Allan Cameron.

``I fully expect the opponents of the project to make an issue of the water supply and availability as a last-ditch effort,'' Cameron said. ``It is always a good way to stall a project you don't like.''