BY BILL DEAVER, Mojave Desert News

RCSD may provide utilities to 1,185-home project

Seek protection for area groundwater

BY BILL DEAVER

ROSAMOND - A project to create a new community in the Willow Springs area west of Rosamond could receive water and sewer service from the Rosamond Community Service District, representatives of the developer were told Tuesday.

Board members met with representatives of the planned Copa de Oro community in a special meeting Tuesday morning to discuss the board's concern that a full environmental study be required rather than a negative declaration.

Randy Abbott, a Bakersfield consultant and former county planning director, told directors that their concerns about providing an adequate water supply to the project could be addressed in a negative declaration.

"I believe county planning staff can work with your staff to create mitigation language to resolve all of your issues," Abbott said. "You can get the same mitigation language in the negative declaration that you would get in a full EIR."

Board members said the district would consider providing water and sewer service if the developer meets the district's standards.

Abbott said he doubts that the developers are interested "in getting in the business of running their own district," and would welcome RCSD's participation.

Already approved

At the beginning of the hour-long meeting in RCSD's board room Abbott said the project was approved by Kern County supervisors in 1997 for a half-section of land and 933 housing units.

"The developers had the opportunity to buy the other half-section and expanded the project to 1,185 housing units," Abbott said.

Rather than double the number of homes, the developers decided to use the additional land to lower density and provide additional room for an 18-hole championship golf course and 17 areas of parkland throughout the project, located between Avenue A and Gaskill Road, and XXXX streets.

The issue would not be before the county and RCSD now were it not for the desire to expand the proposal, Abbott explained.

Water concerns

Several board members asked Abbott and Jeff Helsley, an engineer with Stetson Engineering developing the project's water and sewer system, probing and detailed questions about their plans.

"I'm not against the project but I want to protect the people of this district against any gremlins that might show up," RCSD board President Greg Wood. told Abbott and Helsley.

Wood and Director Daniel Landsgaard said their primary concern is that a sufficient water supply is available for the project and that it does not impact RCSD customers.

Helsley laid out a plan that includes water from wells, untreated water from the Antelope Valley/East Kern Water Agency (AVEK), treated water from sewage to irrigate the golf course, and by recharging the aquifer during wet years.

Wood and Landsgaard, noting that AVEK's water comes from the California Aqueduct, said they wanted assurances that local groundwater supplies will not be impacted by the project. They also suggested that treated water from RCSD's new water treatment plant could be used to irrigate the golf course.

Mitigation language

Abbott said mitigation language in the negative declaration can address the district's concerns.

"We can write in language to address your concerns," Abbott said, adding that no other governmental agency has requested that a full EIR be written, and that the original project was approved with a negative declaration.

Abbott said developers and the county took the unusual step of signing a development agreement for the original project, and plan to agree to one for the addition.

Development agreements are only approved by governmental agencies when the agency receives something.

In this case, the developer agrees to provide support for a library and law enforcement services. Asked by the Desert News following the meeting how the golf course will be supported, Abbott said the course will be given to the county and that an arrangement will be made to support its operation.

Board members asked that the issue of working with Copa de Oro and the county to develop language acceptable to both parties be placed on the agenda for the board's October 8th meeting.
 
 

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