The City of Malibu has been sued by the National Defense Research Council and Santa Monica Baykeeper for failing to stop beach and water contamination. However, bacteria in Malibu Creek comes from 109 square miles of watershed in five cities with 90,000 inhabitants. So, according to these environmental groups, Malibu is the maid of the watershed responsible for cleaning up after 90,000 Valley people. I think these groups have a loose grip on reality.
After a few rainstorms, millions of gallons of runoff per minute flow down Malibu Canyon. I remember when it took out the wooden bridge on PCH. By comparison, the water treatment facility on Malibu Road at Marie Canyon, at a cost of $1,300,000, treats only 100 gallons per minute and when this is exceeded the untreated water flows into the ocean. Wow, $13,000 per gallon seems a little steep. I think the city should require an audited cost justification report from Clear Creek Systems.
The solution is for the Water Quality Control Board, with their vast resources, to heighten Rindge Dam so the watershed runoff backwashes into the San Fernando Valley, a large natural catch basin capable of containing the water volume so it doesn’t contaminate Malibu with its bacteria, making us the endangered species. Some work will be needed to update valley building codes such as requiring the stilting of structures and Gondola permits.
Malibu Times contributor, Nora Fleming, tells us that the Marie Canyon water treatment facility uses radioactive light (to kill bacteria). Nora, are you sure it’s radioactive light and not ultraviolet light because it’s unlikely that a nuclear radiation source would be permitted so close to population centers such as Pepperdine?
Jack Singleton