WATER BOARD TO FIGHT BILL FOR NEW PIPELINE.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The Newhall County Water District board of directors plans to oppose legislation that would require it to serve a remote community of 94 mobile homes miles away from municipal water lines.

At its Wednesday night meeting, the board voted 4-1 to urge the state Legislature to reject Assembly Bill 1425, introduced by Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Camarillo, without the knowledge of the small water agency.

``This board should control what area it does or does not serve,'' said President Randall Pfiester. ``I have serious qualms about being circumvented in this manner.''

It was an oversight that the water agency was not notified of the bill, said Keith Jajko, a spokesman for the assemblyman.

``We're going to have to review how we are going to proceed,'' Jajko said.

Director Barbara Dore cast the lone dissenting vote, saying that the agency had informally given the owner of the Paradise Ranch mobile home park its approval to seek legislation that would expand the small water agency's boundaries, rather than going through the Local Agency Formation Commission, which handles annexations in Los Angeles.

``Legislation is the most effective way to get water to 94 homes,'' Dore said.

Representatives of Santiago Associates, the owner of the mobile home park, did not return phone messages left Thursday.

Water is now trucked into the mobile home park at the foot of the Grapevine, but some residents have complained about its quality and taste. The bill would call for construction of a seven-mile pipeline along the public right-of-way.

Ed Dunn, a frequent critic of both the NCWD and the area's state water purveyor, the Castaic Lake Water Agency, said the bill is a ``Trojan horse'' to allow the CLWA to get control of all the water in the valley.

The CLWA has taken no position on the bill, said Mary Lou Cotton, assistant to the general manager.

Director Lynne Plambeck said developers should not be encouraged to bypass water agencies and the lengthy LAFCO process.

``All this does is encourage people to build where they shouldn't,'' Plambeck said. ``These people knew there was no water supply, and they built there anyway.''

Director Valerie Thomas said the legislation appeared to be designed to clear the way for additional development of the rural area near Templin Highway near Castaic. Thirty new homes are slated to be built at Paradise Ranch, officials said.

``Otherwise, the finances just won't pencil out because it is a poor community,'' Thomas said.