The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board at a hearing last week gave the local sewer treatment plant a new five-year operating permit, with strings attached.

The Tapia Water Reclamation Facility in Calabasas treats wastewater for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Triunfo Sanitation District joint powers authority.

The new conditions require further monitoring of Tapia’s discharges into the Malibu Creek watershed and call for a reduction in the plant’s chemical disinfection byproducts by 2014.

The estimated capital cost to upgrade the Tapia plant and meet the regional water board requirements is $6 to $8 million. The increased monitoring costs for the Malibu Creek watershed are unknown until a study is complete.

“(The joint powers authority) came away with “a permit we can live with,” LVMWD General Manager John Mundy said.

“The new permit is free of unexpected or costly surprises. In fact, as approved the permit incorporates recommendations made by the JPA,” he said.

Mundy said a wastewater treatment agency seldom goes through a permit renewal process without additional mandates.

About a dozen local residents attended the hearing in downtown Los Angeles Sept. 2 to provide support for the local water districts.

“I believe there’s great value in the regional board having direct contact with the public who will end up paying the bills when all is said and done,” Mundy said.

At the hearing, Mark Gold, leader of the environmental group Heal the Bay, asked the regional board to increase monitoring and nutrient-reduction efforts in Malibu Creek. In general, Gold supported the Las Virgenes and Triunfo sewage treatment efforts.

While the fiscal impact of the new permit isn’t fully known, Mundy said sewer rates should not be greatly impacted.

“More volatile costs such as energy and chemicals can affect wastewater treatment rates annually. However, capital improvements related to this permit can be spread out over time, softening the impacts on rates,” he said.

Customers of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District currently pay $108 for two months of sewer service. Triunfo Sanitation District customers pay comparable fees through their county taxes.

Las Virgenes–Triunfo joint powers officials will discuss the new permits requirements at their next meeting at 5 p.m. Mon., Sept 13 in the Oak Park Library.

“The JPA will be looking at the various methods available to us to meet these limits,” said Mike Paule, chairman of the Triunfo Board of Directors.

Concerning monitoring, the regional board agreed to review data from prior tests conducted over 35 years before imposing an increase in watershed monitoring.

The study will include testing information from local water agencies and other stakeholders in the watershed.

The study will be submitted in six months at which time the regional board will determine a proper monitoring plan, Paule said. The local water agencies will develop their own watershed-wide monitoring program within one year.

The Tapia Water Reclamation Facility treats approximately 10 million gallons per day, converting sewage into treated recycled water that complies with state and federal standards.

During warm weather months, the treated effluent is used to irrigate parks, golf courses, highway landscapes and common areas. In cooler wet weather months, surplus effluent is discharged into the L.A. River or Malibu Creek.