RIVERBED FOLIAGE FUELS FLOOD FEARS; AGENCIES UNABLE TO AGREE ON CLEARING OUT CHANNELS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

Dust, desert plant life and a few patches of heavy brush mark the Santa Clarita Valley's dry riverbeds, a scene that means disastrous flooding to federal, state, county and city officials.

That vegetation, untamed for 10 to 20 years in some stretches of river, stands to block flood waters should scientists' predictions of a wild winter prove true.

But the various agencies involved in managing the region's waterways have been unable to come to agreement in 22 months of negotiations on how to clear the city's flood control channels, including natural stretches of river that have been channeled for development.

On one side of the conflict is the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, which favors bulldozing the willow trees, the bamboolike arunda and the brush from the waterways.

The vegetation, while scenic, could spell disaster if it dams the South Fork and the Santa Clara rivers, where neighborhoods sit within a few hundred feet, said James A. Noyes, the department's chief deputy director.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Regional Water Quality Control Board, however, require special permits to destroy wetland habitats because they are environmentally sensitive, said Col. Larry Davis, the corps' commander and district engineer. While the corps agrees the channels must be cleared to prevent serious flooding, the federal agency insists that the county protect wetlands elsewhere to make up for losses. The corps even allows that this mitigation can come after the fact.

In fact, the Corps granted the county a permit back in February to clear the channels, but the county never obtained the necessary endorsement from state water quality officials, said Fred-Otto Egeler, chief of public affairs for the Corps of Engineers.

Friday, representatives of several agencies gathered at the request of U.S. Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, a former Santa Clarita mayor, to figure out how to sidestep red tape and clear flood channels in case the El Nino effect unleashes its legendary brand of unforgiving rainfall this winter.

``We're all concerned about the habitat,'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, said. ``But human life has to come first.''

McKeon and Santa Clarita Mayor Clyde Smyth spoke of stormy winters when the banks of the Santa Clara overflowed, knocking out bridges and threatening homes.

``It's hard to believe, looking at this on a warm summer day like today, but I've seen it happen. I've seen this fill wall-to-wall,'' Smyth said.

The city, the entity that will suffer if flooding actually occurs, has no jurisdiction over flood channels, which are maintained by the county under the regulations of the state and federal governments, Smyth said.

Davis, of the Corps of Engineers, said the various agencies must stop blaming one another and work together toward a solution, not only in Santa Clarita, but throughout the state. Davis is meeting next week with officials from seven counties, including Los Angeles, in hopes of speeding up the process of granting permits to clear the waterways. Emergency permits, he said, are possible.