Reclaimed water for new landscaping

I want to clear up some misinformation about the beautiful new landscaping along Mulholland Highway. The entire new stretch of landscaping will soon be watered with 100 percent reclaimed water from the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District as planned. The LVMWD is restricted from discharging all their highly treated wastewater into Malibu Creek and, as a result, has an overabundance of reclaimed water that needs to be creatively reused on commercial properties and public lands.

The new Mulholland Highway landscaping project was designed in accordance with reclaimed water standards and is ready to be hooked up as soon as the line is extended. We have budgeted $75,000 to extend the line and we are currently completing the design phase of the project. Residents will see construction to connect these lines sometime after the New Year.

Additionally, the surrounding streets' storm water- previously destined to flow into storm drains and out to the ocean- has been redirected to perculate through the highly mulched ground surface.

The city is proud that not only does the new landscaping not draw from our precious drinking water (and saves taxpayers on a water bill) but it will help preserve and protect the water quality of Malibu Creek. Beautiful public landscapes and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive. For more details, call Steve Ball at the city of Calabasas at (818) 878-4225. Mary Sue Maurer Calabasas mayor pro tem