Santa Clarita Valley Shortages Feared : Plan for Jail Wells Stirs Water Concerns

Santa Clarita Valley water company officials have serious concerns about a Los Angeles County proposal to dig four wells to provide water for the increasing inmate population at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho in Castaic, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Among other things, the 2,000 acre-feet of water the county expects to pump from the wells each year could deplete ground water reserves for future residents of the fast-growing area, said Dan Masnada, vice president of Valencia Water Co. An acre-foot of water is roughly equal to the amount of water used annually by the owners of an average single-family home.

“We did a lot of testing and we’re going to evaluate their comments,” said Thomas Schriber, chief of project management for the county’s Facilities Management Department, which has proposed digging the wells.

He said the county now pumps water for the jail’s use from a few wells that produce about 3,000 acre-feet of water a year. That supply serves an estimated 7,000 inmates, crops grown on the facility’s grounds and a laundry that serves the jail.

But the additional water will be needed when a more than 2,000-bed maximum-security facility is completed at the jail next year. At that time, the population at the Honor Rancho will swell to more than 9,000 inmates, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Bob Nimtz said.

Projections show that the number of inmates will grow to 12,000 by 1994 and 20,000 by 2016, according to a preliminary report prepared by the county on the $7.8 million well project.

“There’s a need for more water out there and as soon as possible,” Schriber said. If the wells are drilled, they could be operational within eight months after the start of construction, he said.

The county’s preliminary report on the project, released earlier this month, concluded that the proposed wells would not have a significant effect on the area’s ground water. Water pumped from the wells would be replenished by leakage from the bottom of the Castaic Lake dam, the report said.

Masnada, who also serves on the board of the Castaic Lake Water Agency; Jim Jinks, manager of the Newhall County Water District, and other Santa Clarita Valley water retailers say this is not necessarily the case.

“The premise that all they’re really going to be tapping into is the leakage from the dam is not really true,” Masnada said. The wells also would tap into the entire area’s ground water supply, he said.

The study area used in the report was too limited, he said.

“The ground water model used only included a few of the wells to the immediate north,” Masnada said. “It did not include any of the area to the immediate south. You have to address the effects on downstream wells.

“This may have significant effect on ground water resources. What we’re saying is ‘Hey, you’ve got some problems with the reports. You’ve got some things to address before you can really say there is no impact on the ground water.’ ”

Water company officials have suggested that instead of digging the wells, the county should get the water through the Castaic Lake Water Agency or the State Water Project.

Schriber said the county is concerned about the cost of going through the agency, including a one-time-only connection fee of about $5 million. The jail’s annual water bill, in that case, would be about a half-million dollars, officials said.

Schriber said he is waiting to see the water company officials’ comments in writing before he will comment on specific concerns.

“We’ll sit down and negotiate with them,” Schriber said.

Masnada said the county and water officials must work together to develop a solution that isn’t detrimental to the water supply for future Santa Clarita Valley residents.

The water agency is working hard to develop additional water sources, he said.