The Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District board of directors will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall on Wednesday, where they will discuss whether or not to extend the public comment period for their chloride Environmental Impact Report.

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On June 10, Santa Clarita City Council sent a letter to the district requesting a 30-day extension on the comment period for the EIR that the district must submit to the Regional Water Quality Control Board by Oct. 31, detailing how they plan to reduce chloride levels at the Santa Clarita Valley’s watershed.

The board will decide at Wednesday’s meeting whether or not they plan to honor the council’s request.

Basil Hewitt, an SCV Sanitation District senior engineer, said that the board will likely grant an extension.

“The question is to what degree,” he said.

The Sanitation District already faced heavy fines for failing to meet a previous deadline set by the Water Quality Control Board. They must meet the Oct. 31 deadline if they wish to avoid further penalty, which is why they might be reluctant to extend the comment period.

“We have to figure out what we want to do,” Hewitt had said previously. “Unnecessary fines and large fines are a risk that isn’t worth it.”

“If that extension was granted, then the comment period would be a full 90 days,” Hewitt said, “which would be double the typical comment period for the EIRs in the state of California.”

The California Environmental Quality Act requires a 45-day comment period for public documents.

For more information, contact the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District at (562) 908-4288. To view the full meeting agenda, click here.

Stay updated on KHTS AM-1220’s coverage of the chloride issue.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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