Grand jury: Stallion Springs wastewater treatment plant ‘may be on the brink of disaster’

Complaints from residents resulted in an investigation of Stallion Springs Community Services District by the Kern County grand jury.

A report detailing concerns about the district’s wastewater treatment plant, increased operational costs and other matters was released Monday morning.

General Manager Laura Lynne Wyatt said Monday that she was not employed by the district at the time of the grand jury’s inquiry and needs time to become familiar with the report.

The report calls for the district to respond within 90 days.

Wyatt joined the district in mid-December. She took over for Vanessa Stevens, who retired. Stevens had been the GM since early 2020 and was with the district for 11 years, previously as its recreation manager.

Among the grand jury’s findings is that the district’s wastewater treatment plant has been neglected. According to the report, the plant “may be on the brink of disaster.”

The report states that the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board’s 2025 deadline for the plant to become compliant is quickly approaching but the district does not have sufficient funds to make mandated improvements.

Although the district submitted a grant application for funds to assist with improvements, the report states the application has not been routinely monitored.

If the grant is not approved, a loan might provide an option. The grand jury provided calculations showing this could increase bimonthly payments for the 380 sewer connections by as much as $175.30, depending on the term of the loan — and assuming an interest rate of 6%.

The grand jury recommended that the district develop a contingency plan to serve affected sewer customers and to initiate a sewer rate increase study in accordance with Proposition 218 by July 1 to ensure that future operating costs and capital improvements are funded. These were two of seven recommendations relating to the wastewater plant. Among other recommendations was for the CSD to assign a watchdog to track the grant application process monthly and report to the GM.

OTHER ISSUES

The report describes past actions of the district that contributed to distrust and calls upon the district to improve communication using bill inserts, the district newsletter and town hall meetings. It also recommended that the district provide access to policies and procedures on its website.

The grand jury referenced a report by former GM Dave Aranda in the board meeting agenda for March 19, 2019, and recommended that the district revisit alternate uses of surplus acreage. In that report, Aranda noted that the district’s purchase of property in Cummings Valley that included a well (Bornt property) could allow the district to sell off parcels associated with two ineffective wells (Buckpasser and Bold Venture). He suggested that selling the land could benefit the district by helping pay off the land purchase, putting the parcels back on the tax roll and making them available for home construction.

After the district purchased the Bornt property, it began using a building there as a library (staffed by volunteers). The Grand Jury recommended relocating the library to a more accessible location for Stallion Springs residents.

The report also recommends the CSD consider initiating a special assessment tax to fund additional police and public works staff.

‘WORKING DILIGENTLY’

The report notes that the solid waste disposal site in the district — previously an unhealthy and unsightly dump — has been cleaned up with tighter regulations.

Although many concerns were raised in the report, the grand jury noted that “to their credit, the CSD’s several departments are working diligently together to help bring a higher quality of life to the community.

According to historian and author Jon Hammond, Stallion Springs was once a ranch owned by Rex Ellsworth, a thoroughbred breeder whose horse Swaps, raised and trained in Cummings Valley, won the 1955 Kentucky Derby.

In 1969, Hammond wrote in an article published by Tehachapi News in 2022 that the 10,500-acre Ellsworth Ranch was sold to a company called Benquet California, and development of Stallion Springs began soon after.

According to the grand jury report, the CSD was formed in 1970. It currently has more than 3,000 residents with a median age of 47. The CSD provides water, trash, green waste, sewer, police, road maintenance, snowplowing and weed abatement. It also operates a parks and recreation department with a pool, gym facilities and a lake for fishing.

More information about the district is online at stallionspringscsd.com.