Creek cleanup good in theory, but who will pay?

New trash pollution limits adopted by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board on May 1 will reduce the amount of trash in Malibu Creek, but cities responsible for halting the pollution aren't sure how they will pay for the required cleanup.

An eight-year time frame has been established for cities and other responsible agencies to install trash capturing devices near impaired bodies of water to decrease pollution, said Kirsten James, water quality director for Heal the Bay, the agency that provided technical review, raw data and testimony during the process of identifying pollutants in the Malibu Creek Watershed.

Because even small quantities of trash can maim or kill wildlife, the regional board set the pollution limit at "zero trash" in the water and on the shorelines, said Matthew King, Heal the Bay's communications director.

"The adoption of this TMDL (total maximum daily load) is a major step forward in improving water quality in the Malibu Creek Watershed," he said.

A TMDL is the allowable limit on the daily discharge of pollutants such as bacteria, trash and metals into a stream.

Several cities and agencies are listed as responsible parties for the cleanup. James said that in addition to the National Park Service, the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura, several other public entities are considered "point sources" for trash that ends up in the creek.

The Ventura County Watershed Protection District, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Caltrans are named as responsible parties. So, too, are several local cities including Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Hidden Hills.

Agoura Hills City Manager Greg Ramirez is worried about the cost of cleanup.

"It's kind of the multimilliondollar question- literally," he said. Ramirez estimates the cost for Agoura Hills to meet the zero-trash regulations will be between $5 million and $10 million over the next 20 years.

"We are in the testing phase to determine what levels the pollutants are and ultimately what's causing them- the sources," Ramirez said. "The biggest frustration from a city's perspective is the lack of funding for this mandate."

James and other environmentalists believe the results will prove to be worth the costs. Too many birds, sea turtles and marine mammals have died as the result of either ingesting or getting tangled in plastic, she said. Aquatic life has also died from entanglements with plastic soda can holders, bags and other non-biodegradable material.

During the eight-year time frame allowed to install the trash devices, cities and agencies will be required to establish benchmarks and meet incremental milestones on trash reduction, James said.

"Basically what happens is the municipality can propose a design of the full-capture device, and then the executive director at the regional board will approve it," James said. The city of Los Angeles, she said, has already installed full-capture devices by open storm drains.

As for the time frame of eight years for full compliance, James said she thinks it's reasonable. "The whole point is they have to collect trash on a prescribed frequency," James said.

Ramirez doesn't dispute the need for clean water but wonders what city services must be cut to pay for the unfunded mandate. "Everybody wants clean water, but how do you fund it and how do you accomplish it?" he said.