Countywide : CSU May Seek Order to Inspect Oil Wells

Cal State University officials may seek a court order allowing them to examine capped oil wells on property west of Camarillo selected for a future campus site, an official said Tuesday.

The property’s owner, Mohseni Ranches, has opposed the university’s efforts to purchase land needed to build a permanent Cal State campus in Ventura County.

Because negotiations have been hostile, Cal State may need a court order allowing it access to the property for toxic studies, said David Leveille, director of institutional relations.

“It’s a fairly routine requirement with an uncooperative owner,” he said.

Cal State analysts need to examine two defunct oil wells on the property to determine if they were capped properly and if there is any problem with ground contamination, Leveille said.

If a court order is obtained, officials should be able to complete the study in the next two months, he said.

Other aspects of the acquisition process are proceeding smoothly, Leveille said. Cal State is working with officials from Ventura County and the cities of Camarillo and Oxnard to decide which of the entities will supply water, sewer and road improvements to the site.

Pending the results of an engineering study, both Oxnard and Camarillo officials have indicated that they are willing to supply services to the campus. The county has been providing assistance on a flood-control project slated for the site, and all three governments have indicated that they will help build roads when the need arises, Leveille said. Cal State trustees will be informed of progress at the project when they meet next Tuesday, but no specific action is expected, he said.

University officials propose building a permanent Ventura satellite campus of Cal State Northridge on the 320-acre lemon grove.

The facility eventually will be built into an independent Cal State campus serving up to 20,000 full-time students.