ANTELOPE VALLEY : Supervisors Delay Water System Vote

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors postponed a decision Thursday on whether to give final approval to a water system for the 7,200-house Ritter Ranch project, largely because of issues raised in a lawsuit against the county.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich has asked that the board’s preliminary approval of the water system be rescinded after learning that residents and others had requested a full environmental impact report on the project.

The lawsuit, filed May 11 by the Palmdale Water District and two Antelope Valley town councils--Leona Valley and Antelope Acres--alleges that an environmental report should have been required for the water system because it will spark growth and could drain water from surrounding wells.

One issue raised in the suit, which concerns the rights of Ritter Ranch to pump purchased water through the system, should be resolved before the agreement to build the water system becomes final, said county Public Works Director Thomas Tidemanson.

Supervisors agreed to wait until July 16 to decide so that the pumping detail can be worked out. However, they declined to postpone a decision until the court case is resolved, as Antonovich had proposed.