Move to Combine Water Districts Gains Support

A bill to consolidate two water agencies in the Santa Clarita Valley received support this week from city and state representatives. The Santa Clarita City Council voted 4-0 with one abstention Tuesday night to back the measure in Senate Bill 634. Earlier that day the legislation, introduced by State Senator Scott Wilk, R-Lancaster, was passed in a 7-0 vote by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. The legislation, introduced on February, would dissolve Castaic Lake Water Agency and Newhall County Water District and replace them with a single water agency. In December, the boards of the public districts approved taking that step. Business groups, including the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, back the water agency consolidation. Wilk said he was pleased by the committee’s vote in seeing the value of unifying regional water management in the Santa Clarita Valley into one streamlined agency. “SB 634 would establish a 21st century modern government agency that will not only serve the needs of my district, but will become a model for water agencies throughout the state,” Wilk said in a prepared statement. The city council vote was preceded by several hours of discussion and public comment on the issue. Councilmember Marsha McLean was the abstaining vote.