SANTA CLARA RIVER COULD FLOW AGAIN PLAN WOULD PUMP TREATED WATER TO UPSTREAM AREAS.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- On one side of an eight-lane bridge in Santa Clarita, Southern California's last wild river is lush with plant life. On the other, the dry riverbed is a sandy desert landscape.

The difference is from the treated wastewater pumped into the riverbed just west of the bridge, feeding the Santa Clara River as it cuts a path through the city, then meanders through the farm towns of Ventura County before meeting the Pacific Ocean.

Now a $10 million plan has been proposed to take on Mother Nature and pump water upstream, all in the interest of greening up the river expanse through the community of Canyon Country.

It's not yet known how far water would flow on the sandy surface before disappearing into the ground, but Santa Clarita officials hope it's enough to create a wetland that could foster habitats, provide an outlet for water sports and woo eateries seeking a scenic view for patrons.

"It would be a really nice amenity for the community," said David Peterson, a management analyst in the city's Community Development Department.

About five years ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began studying the possibility of pumping water eastward from a wastewater treatment plant near Six Flags California's Magic Mountain, about 10 miles downstream. The goals were to enhance the habitat, create recreation options and improve flood control along the river.

But funding dried up, and so did the project.

Now it's sprung back to life since U.S. Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, earmarked $500,000 in the House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill for the corps to conduct a $3 million feasibility study. The bill faces a Senate hearing after being approved last month by the House of Representatives.

If the project is ever approved and enacted, federal dollars would pay 65 percent of the cost and local dollars would pay the rest, said Brian Whelan, a senior water resources planner for the Corps.

Forcing some of the 17 million gallons of water treated daily at the Valencia plant through nearly 10 miles of pipe would be a costly endeavor.

But environmentalists say the project could quench a thirsty water table.

"On the face of it, it looks like a reasonable way to spread water out over a larger area and help out the vegetation," said Ron Bottorff, chairman of Friends of the Santa Clara River.

Bottorff said the arid nature of the riverbed in Canyon Country is man- made: Local water companies with wells tapping the underground aquifer that follows the river are overpumping.

But Dan Masnada, general manager of the Castaic Lake Water Agency, which manages the local imported supply and operates a municipal service, said that isn't so.

"Before there was groundwater pumping on the east side of town, the river looked no different than it does today," Masnada said.

If the city goes ahead with the project, a hydrologist would have to pinpoint areas of the sandy riverbed that could actually hold water.

"He or she would say, 'This is the best place that gets you the biggest bang for the buck,'" he said, noting that long sandy stretches must be saturated before water will flow on the surface. Steeper slopes on the east could pose a challenge, because water flows downhill both on the surface and underground.

Besides the municipal wells serving the ever-growing Santa Clarita Valley, hundreds of private wells line the riverbed. Bob Fleck, acting president of the Santa Clarita Valley Well Owners Association, said his group would be interested to learn the project's overall impact on the watershed.

His concern is the chlorides -- salt -- found in Santa Clarita's treated wastewater, a problem noted downstream by Ventura County farmers who say chlorides threaten their crops, primarily strawberries and avocados.

Ventura County, with its 1,100 medium-sized farms, is a key agricultural region statewide. Crops picked there in 2006 generated more than $1.5 billion.

Another issue is the habitat change to the parched stretch of river. The California Department of Fish and Game would study the project's biological survey to make sure wetlands would do no harm to critters, said Scott Harris, an environmental scientist for the agency.

Some question whether the call for green is spurred by developments along the river, but Peterson said no.

A more verdant stretch of riverbed likely would be welcomed by developers building along the sandy stretch of the Santa Clara. The Newhall Land and Farming Company's 1,089-home River Village is being built by the dry stretch of river bank, and a complex of 407 townhomes is planned south of there. A 103-home gated community also is proposed south of the river, its 33-acre open space preserve bordering the banks.

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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