Board Lifts Ban on Building in Agua Dulce

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday temporarily lifted a building moratorium imposed on rural Agua Dulce earlier this year when county health officials said they feared that septic tanks were contaminating drinking water.

More than three dozen property owners and one major developer in the Santa Clarita Valley had planned to build homes or businesses in the area and were stymied by the February moratorium. They complained that the moratorium, which froze development by prohibiting new septic tanks, was creating financial hardships. Some residents told county officials that they might be forced into bankruptcy.

In an attempt at compromise, Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area, sponsored motions Tuesday allowing landholders who had filed building plans that were affected by the moratorium to proceed with construction. However, they must each pay a fee of $1,500 to help finance a county study of the area’s drinking water. The board unanimously approved the motions without discussion.

The Larwin Co., which intends to build a 49-home development on 120 acres, will pay the $200,000 cost of the study. The company will in turn receive the $1,500 fees collected from other builders.

Rising Nitrate Levels

The county stopped issuing septic-tank permits after health officials discovered that some water wells in Agua Dulce contained rising levels of nitrates--a component of sewage and fertilizer that can pose a health risk to infants.

High nitrate levels have been associated with the “blue-baby” syndrome, said Dr. Richard Jackson, a pediatrician in the Hazards Evaluation Section of the state Department of Health Services. In such cases, the ability of the infant’s blood to carry oxygen is reduced. There also is some preliminary evidence that pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid water containing excessive nitrates, he said.

The test of 17 county-controlled wells earlier this year indicated that five exceeded the state limit for nitrates and two were on the verge of surpassing the limit. A survey of 16 private wells conducted since then showed no excessive level of nitrates.

Health officials said they do not expect the limited lifting of the moratorium to worsen the nitrate problem.

“We feel the effect of the building will be minimal,” said Jack Petralia, rural director of environmental protection for the county health department.

Most of the building will be scattered and will be in the northern part of Agua Dulce, where nitrate levels are lower, Petralia said.

Property owners said they were relieved to get the green light from the board, but expressed resentment toward the health department, which initiated the ban.

“It’s a shame any one agency has so much power,” said Bill Dougherty, who plans to build on two tracts in Agua Dulce. “They can shut down an entire area and leave people hanging.”

‘We’re Paranoid’

Other landowners grumbled about the $1,500 fee and expressed skepticism that a problem exists with the water in Agua Dulce, which means “fresh water” in Spanish. They asked that their names not be used, fearing retaliation by building inspectors.

“We’re paranoid,” one property owner said. “We don’t want anything to mess up the works.”

“I know some of them are unhappy they have to pay,” said Joanne Darcy, the Santa Clarita Valley field representative for Antonovich. But, she noted, “If we waited until the money was available, it probably would have been another year” before the study was started.

“It’s just a temporary compromise, we don’t know what the study will show,” Darcy said.

The study will attempt to pinpoint the source of contamination and recommend a solution.