Heal the Bay executive director says city’s delay in notifying the environmentalist organization of the spill was “disappointing.”
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
Los Angeles County public health officials closed Surfrider Beach during the weekend after a reported sewage spill into Malibu Lagoon.
Officials closed the beach for a quarter mile on both sides of the breach (the point where the lagoon drains into the ocean) on Friday and it remained closed until Monday, when the closure was lifted, although warning signs notifying swimmers that contact with drainage water could cause illnesses were left in place.
Jennifer Voccola, the environmental programs coordinator for the city of Malibu, said the problem arose when an onsite wastewater treatment system for the Malibu Colony Shopping Plaza backed up and wastewater flowed into a nearby catch basin, subsequently spilling into the lagoon.
“It was a grease interceptor for commercial food business,” Voccola said. “The lines got blocked and the overflow ended up going into the lagoon.”
Voccola said the spill was not large, “one hundred fifty gallons is probably an over-estimate,” and that the sewage would be more accurately described as “gray water,” comparable to runoff from a shower, as opposed to “black water” sewage flow, which occurs when a toilet is flushed.
Mark Gold, executive director of Heal the Bay, was surprised to hear the problem was so limited in scope.
“I originally heard estimates of over 1,500 gallons,” he said. “I find it curious that they determined that the spill was so small, especially when the city arrived on the scene a couple of hours after the breach had begun.”
“We were extremely disappointed not to have been notified right away by the city or the health department when this happened last Friday,” Gold added. “The spill notification process has room for improvement. We post beach closures the second we hear about them but were notified long after the fact in this case.”
Eric Edwards, the chief environmental health specialist for L.A. County, affirmed that three days of normal tidal action sufficiently diluted the effects of Friday’s spill to allow the beach to be reopened.
“We were testing for indicator bacteria and, when the ratio of E. coli to total coliform is higher than 0.1, it is a question of public health. We had to close the beach.”
Edwards said the food-borne type of E. coli strain evident in Malibu Lagoon is not as dangerous as the life-threatening form of the bacteria, but that it still presents health hazards.
Voccola said the city gives educational materials to commercial sites, such as Ralphs grocery store, as part of an ongoing campaign to build water safety into all commercial development in Malibu. But she acknowledged that the Regional Water Quality Control Board must address any wastewater discharge permit infractions.
Not entirely, Gold said.
“It is up to the city of Malibu to enforce permits, as well as the Regional Water Quality Control Board,” he said.
Gold suggested there should be a water management utility within city offices to make sure that not just emergencies, but the whole water infrastructure, is dealt with in a progressive manner.
“Malibu is grossly under-resourced to take care of these kinds of infrastructure emergencies,” he said.
Gold cited the “sinkhole from hell” that opened up on Pacific Coast Highway this week just west of Big Rock Road as an example.
“A broken water pipe!” he exclaimed. “And it closes down two lanes of PCH. At the moment, Malibu seems to be dealing with these kinds of emergencies as they arise, instead of upgrading and planning for future infrastructure demands.”
Gold acknowledged that an appropriate budget would be millions of dollars a year for a city department to deal with drinking water and storm/waste water management.
“And that’s only for existing infrastructure,” he said.
“If Malibu residents are intent about addressing these needs, or making sure that deterrent fines are upheld,” Gold said, “then they need to demand action from their local government.”