General Manager of Water District Plans to Retire in April

PALMDALE —  The general manager of the Palmdale Water District, which provides water to some 80,000 south Antelope Valley residents, announced he plans to retire in April.

Hal Fones, 63, said he will serve out the remainder of his contract, which expires April 7.

“I’ve got a long list of things I want to do,” Fones said, explaining why he decided to retire. Fones said his wife will close her business next spring so they can travel together.

Fones first came to the Antelope Valley in the late 1980s to work for the city of Palmdale when it was considering creating a water agency. After the city dropped its plans, Fones worked as a consultant and then was hired by the Palmdale Water District, where he has worked since April, 1990.

During Fones’ tenure as head of the water district, second in size in the Antelope Valley only to Los Angeles County Waterworks District 40, the district has built a 30-million-gallon-a-day water treatment plant.

By the time Fones retires, Palmdale Water District should have completed its $22.6-million renovation and enlargement of the Littlerock Dam.

Fones said he gave the water district board early notice of his impending retirement so it would have sufficient time to select a replacement.