Santa Clarita is expected to move forward with the Vista Canyon Recycled Water Factory at the City Council meeting Tuesday.
Vista Canyon is Santa Clarita’s first large-scale recycling project and would provide about 371,000 gallons of recycled water every day to the Vista Canyon development and properties adjacent to it. Â
City staff will tally five ballots at the meeting, including two from the property owners of Vista Canyon, two from the property owners of the undeveloped land adjacent to Vista Canyon and one from the city.
“These are the entities that ultimately will benefit in terms of commercial uses,” City Special District Manager Kevin Tonoian said.
Totaling the ballots is the last step needed before construction can start, which is expected to begin early next year. Construction can commence as long as there is not a majority in opposition.
“This is the mechanism that is being put in place to make sure the city has property owners who are going to benefit from it,” Tonoian said.
This step is developing a cost-effective design, according to city officials.
The developer will be responsible for operating the plant for the first year or two before the city takes over ownership and operation.
Once the factory is in operation, one-third of the water will be used within the Vista Canyon development each year. This will equal about 137 acre-feet of a total 415 acre-feet, or about 137 football fields filled with a foot of water.
Grants from Proposition 84, which was passed in 2006 to safely provide water, will partially fund the project.
An environmental impact report revealed no significant impact on the environment, according to water officials.