Troubled Waters : Development: Plans to build an apartment complex near an ancient spring have created a rift between Native Americans and environmentalists.

The ancient waters that flow under and onto the grounds of University High School in West Los Angeles are no ordinary wellsprings.

Originally known as the Kuruvangna Springs, for hundreds of years the pools were an oasis for the first inhabitants of the Los Angeles basin, a Native American tribe called the Tongva. More recently, the once-sacred, now officially protected site has been put to more scenic uses--the 22,000 gallons of water that bubble up daily feed a waterfall and an 80-foot lagoon.

“They’re a historic treasure for all of Los Angeles,” said Brentwood resident Loretta Ditlow.

Yet that treasure may be in trouble.

A 30-story apartment complex to be built at the nearby corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue has some environmentalists worried that the underground springs may be destroyed by construction excavation.

And Ditlow, vice president of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation, is waging what some might say is a quixotic fight to halt the development.

The battle has been a complicated one. Two years ago, area residents believed they had triumphed when the construction of a hotel was blocked by the foundation, which leases the site from the Los Angeles Unified School District for $1 annually. And last May, after the developer, Barrington Plaza Ltd., had proposed to build apartments on the site, foundation members were further bolstered by a report from the city’s Planning Department that recommended the project not be approved.

Planners said the environmental impact report prepared by Barrington Plaza failed to fully address the effect of construction on the springs and did not consider the protections afforded the pools by the state, which has declared it a historical site.

Opponents’ jubilation, however, was short-lived.

The same day the report was released, the city Planning Commission overruled the department’s decision and approved the development, citing the potential economic and social benefits. It now goes before the Planning and Land Use Management Commission and will eventually be considered by the City Council.

Among other advantages, the development is projected to generate 1,100 construction and 97 non-construction jobs, as well as provide 335 “reasonably priced” apartments that could rent for as little as $700 per month. Barrington Plaza also intends to remodel portions of the three existing high-rises on the corner.

Adding weight to the developer’s case was the unexpected support of the Tongva--also known as Gabrielino, as the Spanish called them--Tribal Council, which had earlier opposed the project. In a statement presented to the Planning Commission, tribal leaders said they were dropping their opposition because of Barrington Plaza’s pledges not to dig deeper than areas already excavated for existing buildings, as well as its promises to hire two tribe members and an archeologist to monitor the construction.

“We worked hard to listen carefully to the concerns of the tribal leadership,” said Billie Greer, a Barrington Plaza spokeswoman. She added that, in deference to the tribe’s wishes, instead of building four underground parking lots the developer agreed to build two.

Greer also said that quarterly reports will be made to the tribal council on the level of the ground water during construction. “We feel that all steps can and will be taken to ensure that there are no disturbances to the springs,” she said.

The Tongvas’ official exit from its ranks has left the foundation, which includes Tongva members, in a precarious position: defending the sacred grounds of a tribe whose leaders don’t want them defended.

Yet Ditlow said the foundation’s fight will continue until the project comes up for approval before the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Commission next month. At the very least, she said, the foundation would like to have mitigating measures set up in case the development does disrupt the flow of water from the springs.

“Everyone knows they’re historical--there’s no dispute to the validity of these springs,” said Ditlow, who describes herself as heartsick over the projected development. “They ought to be protected.”