Nature Groups Sue Water Agencies
Two lawsuits have been filed alleging that four water agencies overstated supplies and understated demand from the 21,600-unit Newhall Ranch and other projects, officials said Tuesday.
The defendants are the Castaic Lake Water Agency, Newhall County Water District, Santa Clarita Water Co. and Valencia Water Co.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Ventura County Superior Court, the Sierra Club and the Friends of the Santa Clara River said the agencies have used inaccurate projections based on “paper” water rights that may never materialize, said attorney Stephan Volker.
Environmentalists also fear that the water agencies are over-pumping two Santa Clarita water sources: the aquifer under the Santa Clara River and the Saugus aquifer, Volker said.
Henry Schultz, chairman of the Santa Clarita chapter of the Sierra Club, said the water agencies base much of their supply projections on expected deliveries from the State Water Project. “We usually get 50% of that if we are lucky,” he said. “In a drought, we may get none.”
Officials at the Castaic water agency said they had just received the other suit, filed by Ventura County, and were reviewing it.
“Unfortunately, this lawsuit, and any others that may be filed, will only result in costly legal expenses for the citizens of the Santa Clarita Valley,” read a statement issued by the Castaic Lake Water Agency.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
