Hearing Could Affect Plans for Housing Project
A four-day hearing on water availability in the Santa Clarita Valley is expected to wrap up today, and its outcome could affect plans to develop a massive housing project just east of the Ventura County line.
The California Public Utilities Commission agreed to hold the hearings on whether Valencia Water Co. has identified adequate water sources to meet the demands of future development in the area, about 40 miles north of downtown.
The company is a subsidiary of Newhall Land & Farming Co., which plans to built a 21,000-home suburb in the hills between Magic Mountain and the Santa Clara River.
The project won approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1998, but it has been tied up in litigation by environmental groups and neighboring Ventura County for the past year.
Among the key issues in the lawsuit is whether adequate water is available to supply the huge project, which would house nearly 70,000 people. The matter is now pending before a Kern County judge, who is expected to issue a ruling soon.
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