One of the largest polluters of the Santa Monica Bay is the Las Virgenes Sewer Plant which uses the Malibu Creek as its sewer ditch to the sea, and Malibu Lagoon as its leaching lake when the berm is not open to the sea. I have lived in Malibu Canyon’s Serra Retreat and have used the Cross Creek Crossing for over forty years, and prior to the use of the Creek by Las Virgenes Sewer Plant the Cross Creek Crossing has been bone dry seven to eight months out of the year. Currently the creek bed has been flowing despite the requirements of the Water Quality Board, and as of Oct. 27, the creek has risen and a large volume of water (effluent) is going over the creek crossing.
The favorable grades received at Surfers Beach are attributed to the sand bar holding the effluent that has not been breached for months; and therefore the lagoon and stream have acted as the settling and drainage pond; this has raised the groundwater level throughout the Civic Center area creating problems for the septic systems in the commercial Civic Center area.
While Tapia is looking for a solution where to dispose of the reported over 10 million gallons of sewerage water per day other than Malibu Creek and into the sea, it would be prudent that the area served by Tapia have a building moratorium until the problem is solved for the health and well being old our sea and the people who enjoy it.
Louis T. Busch