A few years ago, the city of Santa Clarita approved a very uniquely designed housing development project entitled the Bouquet Canyon Project (Master Case 18-089). It was unanimously passed by both the Planning Commission and the City Council in a time when there seemed to be a lot more going on in o ur local community, our state and our nation. Much more going on than normal (i.e. a worldwide pandemic, civil riots, never-ending election cycles, and some of the largest-scale wildfires in California’s recent history).  So, it did not come as a surprise to most residents in the Bouquet Canyon Watershed that what was being proposed by developers did not seem environmentally sound or even logical. A few simple, common-sense questions arose over this proposed project, one of which seemed very obvious: Why would a high-density development, requiring major road construction through hillsides that surround an alluvial flood plain, even be permitted for development, especially when the local watershed resources of Bouquet Canyon contribute to vital “ecological services” for capturing, storing and filtering our local groundwater in the Santa Clarita Valley?  To help answer this question, it is important to acknowledge perspectives from long-time community residents living within those tributaries and watersheds of our valley. First, most long-term community watershed residents of Bouquet Canyon would not even imagine that our responsible planning commissioners and Santa Clarita council members would purposefully try to manipulate the valley’s water resources for the sake of some short-term gain by approving developments in places that may not be ecologically sustainable and/or could significantly impact the valley’s water resources. Unfortunately, however, this is what developers often do. No, I listened intently to both the commission and council members discuss, argue, and vet the Bouquet Canyon Project’s impact on our water, and believe there were many earnest concerns expressed by certain members for protecting those water resources.   Second, most long-term community watershed residents are sincerely concerned that numerous wildfires in Bouquet Canyon, past and present, will impact the project, either directly or indirectly. More to the point, the Bouquet Canyon Project was NOT appropriately located on this particular property, at the lowest portion of the watershed, where the main entry and exit of the watershed exists. Just within the past several years (2020-22), the watershed has experienced three local wildfires (over 200 acres each) within 10-20 miles of the proposed project site.  Third, most long-term community watershed residents who had read about the Bouquet Canyon Project, as described in the final environmental impact report, or as presented by the developers, did NOT believe it was a sustainable development within the property’s project site. Various environmental concerns arise in knowing that a road, a concrete channel, and a high-density housing project will be placed on top of an alluvial floodplain. The project of this nature would only further degrade the natural water resources of the region by compressing the landscape and topography. With a development of this size (more than 300 homes), compacted onto a 70-acre space, on top of a natural alluvial floodplain and along a ridgeline, it would have multiple ecological, geological and pedalogical impacts on the natural soil-drainage characteristics of the watershed. In short, it would permanently change the endemic characteristics of the land; its capacity to capture and store groundwater, and its unique topographical ridgeline. Ultimately, the airflow, wind speed, and downdrafts would significantly alter the natural micro-climatic characteristics of the watershed.    Fourth, most long-term community watershed residents consider construction of any new section of roadway at the lower end of Bouquet Canyon as a means to create permanent changes in traffic flow, and would lead to greater traffic. While, this project proposed a reorientation and straightening of the road, if failed to address three potential long-term negative impacts: First, aligning the road along the ridgeline would again require crossing the Bouquet Canyon creek at yet another point further north of the current bridged location, and therefore would require the construction of another bridge and culvert(s). Secondly, by straightening the road in the lower portion of the watershed, vehicle speeds and flow rate would likely increase in the region, and increase the flow of traffic entering and exiting the watershed. However, the vast majority of the road (15-20 miles) is a rural two-lane road, and would therefore create a significant “bottleneck” at a further point north. Finally, if the current traffic in the region is made of mostly residential, commuter, and/or raceway traffic, then the construction on a new road will only increase traffic flow into the region — further increasing traffic congestion, creating more potential traffic backups, more vehicle accidents, and further damage to an overburdened two-lane rural roadway.   Finally, most long-term community watershed residents understand the need of sustainable development within the Santa Clarita Valley. However, desiring sustainable development means stepping back from the regional paradigm of “planned buildout” based on county, city, or state requirements. We need to ask ourselves how much do we value the “environmental services” the canyon, hills, ridgelines, and floodplains provide to our quality of life in the SCV? Are the valley’s natural resources at the “carrying capacity” for large-scale development projects? Do we believe the beautiful landscapes and developments within city limits will always be sustainable (if the water is supplied)? How about what happens just outside those city limits, within those native landscapes; must they also survive and be viable for the long-term health and well-being of our entire valley as well?  I commend and support the city of Santa Clarita for ensuring that open space is preserved and protected for the long term on par with development projects. It is those native and natural habitats that provide us various finite natural resources unique to this valley! However, I am also concerned that given the current climatic conditions (temperature extremes), pollution levels (local contamination of air, water, and soil), and the numerous summer wildfires and winter storm events, that we must do more to preserve our main tributaries and watersheds that surround and support the SCV. Remember, the upper Santa Clara River Valley is one of the LAST remaining wild rivers in Southern California. I would hope that most long-term community residents would know we live in a unique river valley that provides us more just a good quality of life, but LIFE itself!  Thank you for your time, dedication and thoughtful decisions in protecting our watersheds and natural resources.  Public meeting announcement: The Bouquet Canyon Watershed Community who live along the Bouquet Canyon Creek Channel will be hosting our Winter BCN Community Watershed Meeting: “Watershed and Wildfire Protection,” 6-8 p.m. March 26-27 at LARC Ranch.    Roger A. Haring Santa Clarita The post Roger A. Haring | Watershed vs. No Water appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less