Price of Progress Soars in Santa Clarita Valley : $912 Million in Capital Spending to Be Needed by 2010, Report Says

The Santa Clarita Valley will need $912 million in capital improvements--from new roads and libraries to water treatment plants and parks--to serve the burgeoning valley by 2010, a new report by Los Angeles County predicts.

Another $31 million will be needed to provide similar services in Acton, a growing community of 7,500 residents between Santa Clarita and Palmdale.

The report, prepared by a consulting firm for the Department of Regional Planning, is intended as a planning tool for officials in Santa Clarita, the county and other agencies. The department in February said the Santa Clarita Valley was the fastest growing region in the county.

“We were trying to get an overall grasp” of the valley’s needs, said Jene McKnight, a supervising regional planner with the county. The report, released Wednesday, compiled the plans of state, county and local agencies and made recommendations for construction projects based upon population projections for the valley.

Some of the projects are under way already; others remain on the drawing board. Funding would come from the state, county, Santa Clarita, assessment districts and perhaps the federal government, McKnight said.

Water System

The largest expense would be $428 million to expand and improve the valley’s water system. That cost includes a new filtration plant proposed by the Castaic Lake Water Agency.

Expanding the region’s water system is crucial, the report said. “The valley used about 68% of its available water supply in 1987,” the report said. “By 2010, the valley may be using as much as 96% of the available supply.”

The report also recommended water conservation measures to cut down on an unusually high use of water in the valley.

By 2010, the valley will need eight new fire stations--an $8.8-million expense. It will cost $65.8 million to obtain and prepare 642 acres for use as parks the valley will need in 20 years, the report said.

The report recommended building new libraries in Castaic, Val Verde, Agua Dulce, Acton, Pinetree and North River, a new housing development planned north of Valencia. It also recommended expanding existing libraries in Valencia, Canyon Country and Newhall.

Building an additional 135,000 square feet of library space will cost $14 million, the report said. Purchasing 405,000 books to fill the new library shelves would cost $4.85 million.

The report estimated that it will cost $51 million for new waste-water systems, $160 million for garbage disposal and $178 million for roads and bridges.

The report provided only a partial list of bridge and highway projects in the valley. A study by the Southern California Assn. of Governments, for example, last year projected that the valley will need road projects worth $340 million by 2010.

Expanded Dump

The report also recommended expanding the Chiquita Canyon dump in Valencia to handle the valley’s garbage. Permits to operate the landfill expire in 1991, but new permits could extend the life of the dump 10 years or more.

The report’s recommendations were based on county population estimates for the Santa Clarita Valley. Those estimates, released in 1987, are already outdated.

For example, the county projected that the valley population would reach 140,000 by 1990. Santa Clarita alone now has 147,000 residents, the state estimates. By 2010, the county estimates, the valley will be home to 270,000 people.