Agoura Hills to host regional hearing on watershed pollution

TOXIC BREW—When the rains fall, Malibu Creek swells with the trash and other toxins from upstream communities such as Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village. Cleanup costs are high. Controversial new water regulations regarding the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility and how the Calabasas sewer plant treats local wastewater will be discussed at what may be the only public hearing on the subject. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will conduct the meeting at 9 a.m. Thurs., Sept. 1 at the Agoura Hills City Hall.

However, the hearing on the new water regulations will not begin before 1 p.m., according to the control board’s agenda.

The regional board wants stringent new regulations that reportedly would cost the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD), operator of the Tapia plant, more than $200 million. Las Virgenes officials say the new laws will not solve the watershed’s problems.

“We continue efforts to secure science-based regulations that result in real, sustainable improvements for Malibu Creek,” John Mundy, LVMWD general manager, said in a letter to approximately 600 interested parties who’ve been studying the issue.

“(The regulations) will bring no real change in creek water quality, while costing you—our customers—hundreds of millions of dollars for unnecessary new construction and facility operations.”

Representatives from the water district, the control board and the Los Angeles Public Works Department will attempt to explain how the complicated new laws stemming from the federal Clean Water Act of 1972 will affect the community.

Local officials warn that if the new regulations pass in their current form, Las Virgenes would have to build a wastewater treatment plant utilizing expensive reverse osmosis technology. According to the water district, residents would face a hefty rate increase to pay for the new plant.

Algae growth in Malibu Creek is at the center of the controversy. Officials from various state and local agencies, however, can’t agree on the cause of the growth in the creek and whether or not the algae are even detrimental.

“We are keenly aware of our role in this region and are not opposed to investing in the environment of the Malibu Creek Watershed,” Mundy said in his letter. “. . .But, as many residents have expressed, you have the right to expect your money to be spent on solutions that are scientifically sound and effective.”

For further information, attend the public hearing on Sept. 1, call the water district at (818) 251-2200, or visit the district’s website at www.yourwater.org.