Community Redevelopment Agency Impacts: Public Health and Safety, Our Clean Water Supplies, Education

By Marta "Williamson-Cox" Kester

As we continue to grow we are outstripping our ability to ensure clean water, excellent education, public health and safety.

We are, daily, presented with problems we hoped we left behind in the Los Angeles basin. Our Community Redevelopment Agency is impacting our ability to ensure clean water, public health and safety, and education negatively through neglect of building the needed infrastructure before development of an area takes place.

Sanitation Districts 14 & 20:

As part of his public duties our current mayor sits on Sanitation Districts 14 and 20 as a board member. He has been there for 12 years. The council members rotate sitting on the Sanitation District boards.

Our city government has broken the trust of the people and neglected to perform their fiduciary duties. The consequences to our valley and residents are devastating.

Our ground water is contaminated with very high nitrate levels. That translates into nitrogen contamination of drinking and bathing water. The cost of our cleanup is in the hundreds of millions and the fines imposed could go as high as $70 billion, based on the State water code.

Gene Nebeker, one of Antelope Valley's largest landowners, a former member of Lahoutan Regional Quality Water Board of the California EPA, worked closely with Senator "Pete" Knight on the issues of the effluent and Rosamond Dry Lake bed and it's effects on Edwards AFB. He is still actively involved in the sanitation and ground water issues in Antelope Valley.

According to Mr. Nebeker, Lahoutan will fine the City of Palmdale one million dollars next month, after the election. Lahoutan was involved with the Hinkley case. Remember Erin Brokovich? This is worse.

There is a 10 square mile, degraded plume with a heavily contaminated 4 mile center, compromising Littlerock Creek and our best natural groundwater storage areas. There are over 10,000 tons of nitrates that have accumulated over decades. The plume only represents 1/10 of the nitrates. The other 8,800 tons is in the ground waiting to contaminate the water further.

• To envision this, picture 1900 trucks and trailers of ammonium sulfate stretching over 15 miles.

Lahoutan is still considering banning new sewer connections because of the overdrawing of our aquifers the water districts are facing writing "stop will serve" letters because there is not enough water left for growth.

What does this mean to you?

• Your health and the health of your loved ones is at risk
• We are in danger of serious water shortages
• What will happen to our businesses and our future

• We must build a plant that uses the best technology, pumping down clean water and forcing the plume to another pump so we can remove it cleaning our water using a reverse osmosis system.
• Reverse Osmosis is the best way to make our water pristine. In the event of a major earthquake or other emergency we could be without some of our water resources.

• I will work to achieve a more balanced and responsible growth pattern for our desert community.
• I will work to bring about a better solution to our ground water contamination by an irresponsible sanitation district. We can clean up the ground water contamination with less expense, faster than the sanitation district's proposal. I will work to achieve that goal.
• I propose a joint coalition between the City, Palmdale Water District and Sanitation District, and Citizens at large to prevent as well as solve any future threats to our clean water resources.

The Schools

Our schools are in trouble, but the City Council says it's not their doing or responsibility. However, in spite of the desires of the residents permits, for new housing tracts, high density apartments, continue to be issued thus increasing our population and making our schools obsolete before they are built. From where will the water needed come and where will the sewage go? It is imperative we stop making decisions approving temporary solutions because we are always in crisis management mode. It is time to come up with workable permanent solutions.

• It is time to re-evaluate the impact of developing at a breakneck pace on education.
• I propose it is time we consider a moratorium on building new high density units and slow down the growth of new housing until the infrastructure is sufficient to handle more growth.

The Redevelopment agency circumvents the money meant for schools from the general fund.

• We must redistribute those funds for the sake of our children's futures and the well being of our national community.

• We must, again, redistribute Redevelopment Agency funds to the Sheriff's department. Without enough funding our law enforcement issues will only get worse.