Ahmanson Ranch Project

* Re Nov. 29 letter about the Ahmanson Ranch project.

Vince Curtis of Save Open Space has it wrong again. The action by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors that he wrote about in this letter was an administrative action to adjust lot lines so the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy could take control of donated parkland. I hope Mr. Curtis is not against acquiring more parkland?

Even though this project was voted on before I took office, I’d like to bring out some facts.

As to the underground water supply, Ahmanson has always had the right to use this water. This aquifer is also under study as a seasonal storage location for reclaimed water. If the project proves feasible, residents in the Trifuno, Las Virgenes and Calleguas districts will use this water for irrigation--saving thousands of gallons of expensive fresh water, a very environmentally sound action.

Mr. Curtis knows as well as I do that no government-sponsored study has ever found any evidence of contamination on the Ahmanson property. If they had, I do not think the conservancy would want the property, as the expense of cleaning it up would be too expensive and time-consuming.

Again, as I have stated before, I am willing to work with Save Open Space any time they have legitimate information on this or other matters that affect the welfare of this county. The rejection by the Board of Supervisors of the lot-line adjustment would only have fostered further litigation, which would cause the county of Ventura to spend money that could be better used on things like roads, parks, health care and public safety.

FRANK SCHILLO

Supervisor, 2nd District,

Thousand Oaks