The project, city officials say, would include the treatment of wastewater in the Civic Center area and manage storm water runoff. The goal is to reduce the pollution of the Malibu watershed.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
City staff members this Wednesday are interviewing candidates to be Malibu’s consultant on the design of the city’s proposed wastewater treatment program, which will heavily rely on the use of the Chili Cook-Off site (the future Legacy Park). Three engineering firms have submitted proposals to the city for the consultant position on the project that city officials say would curb storm water runoff and treat wastewater in an effort to reduce the pollution in the Malibu watershed.
The three candidates being interviewed are Santa Monica-based RMC Water and Environment, San Luis Obispo-based RRM Design Group and EPI Associates, which is a division of the California firm, PBS and J.
Public Works Director Bob Brager said this week that city staff will determine which firm is most qualified for the project and then attempt to negotiate a price for its consultation services. A final contract must receive City Council approval. Brager said a proposal would likely be ready for the council at its first meeting in November.
When city officials were promoting the municipal purchase of the Chili Cook-Off site, the 20-acre piece of land stretching along Pacific Coast Highway from Cross Creek Road to Webb Way, they said the property was needed for a water treatment program. The city purchased the property from the Malibu Bay Co. earlier this year for $25 million. It acquired the money through grants, private donations and by selling bonds.
Although the final design for the wastewater treatment program is far from final, the city has proposed a basic concept. A treatment plant would be constructed on the Pepperdine University-owned Wave property behind the old City Hall on Civic Center Way (the university has offered to donate two acres of the land to the city in exchange for development benefits). The plant would operate as a sewage collector for the Civic Center area properties and others located nearby, including possibly homes in Malibu Colony and on Malibu Road. The wastewater would then be treated and sent to the Chili Cook-Off site, where it would be partially dispersed into vegetation and groundwater and be used for other purposes such as toilet water. The Chili Cook-Off property would also be used for storm water management through the creation of wetlands, a small pond and other habitats.
City officials have said the water treatment program would be funded through grants and possibly loans that would be repaid by those hooking up to the system. The city currently has a $3 million grant request pending with the State Water Resources Control Board. A Malibu official said this week that once the city has selected a consultant for the project, municipal leaders will work with the consultant to decide what other grants should be applied for.