Reader says something smells funny in Calabasas

The roomful of concerned local homeowners approached open revolt at a recent meeting convened by the city of Calabasas over an unprecedented attempt to impose harsh inspections and operating permits on a small number of Calabasas residents.

Citing a memorandum of understanding (MOU), in the words of a city official, "the powers that be" believe that Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems or OWTS, more commonly called septic systems, are environmentally harmful.

Without any basis or provocation, residents must comply with excessive and costly inspections, costing residents potentially many thousands of dollars, not to mention the destruction of highlyvalued landscaping.

Claims by city consultants that such inspections and permits have been mandated by the MOU with the state are contradicted by their own past public testimony. Sitespecific inspections and evaluations of OWTS are not required by the state.

The city has also promised to mirror a Malibu ordinance, which only requires inspection and permits for conventional OWTS at a pointofsale or a remodel affecting property plumbing.

Water quality testing over a number of years conducted by the city itself show that fecal coliform contamination is not coming from small numbers of homes. Rather, levels up to 17 times greater have been found in creek water across from Calabasas High School. The source is likely leaking sewer laterals from Mulwood, a common problem found in tracts built prior to 1990.

The city says they will hold another community meeting, but in the meantime will make no changes to the proposed draft ordinance. To all of those citizens who attended the first meeting to voice their serious concerns, the city's promise to work with us, together as a community, seems less than genuine. Toby Keeler Old Topanga