Today, Senator Scott Wilk, R- Antelope Valley, issued a statement on the introduction of Senate Bill 634, a measure which will establish a new water district in the Santa Clarita area. Currently there are multiple water providers supplying water to the region – a situation, proponents of the measure argue, has resulted in confusion, overlap and added costs for consumers. Wilk’s proposal would integrate existing systems into one state agency.
Late last year the boards of the Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) and the Newhall County Water District (NCWD) voted to support legislation that would dissolve the two agencies and create a new valley-wide water agency. The measure introduced today is the fruit of those negotiations.
“The measure introduced today is merely a starting point for negotiations. Since we are up against a legislative deadline, I introduced the language provided by the water agency stakeholders but it is by no means where we will end up,” said Wilk.
“While I’m supportive of a valley-wide agency that will proactively manage our watershed and provide an economy of scale that should reduce the costs of delivering water to ratepayers, I’m not satisfied with the current version of the bill,” commented Wilk. “I plan on fully vetting this proposal as we go through the process.”
Senator Wilk said he is committed to “getting this right.” He held constituent office hours last weekend specifically on this topic and has actively solicited input from various stakeholders and community members.
”I will continue dialoging with all interested parties so that our final product is a new agency that best reflects the principles of environmental sustainability and a more accountable government,” concluded Wilk.
Senator Wilk’s statement on this matter can be found here.