Waste water disposal question

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    Pepperdine Spokesperson Kelly Ray argues that Pepperdine University is getting a raw deal because of misinformation about their wastewater disposal and she goes on to say that Pepperdine’s good friend, the County of L.A., is the main permit holder for the Malibu Mesa treatment plant that handles Pepperdine’s wastewater. Thus, she can say with a straight face that Pepperdine does not have a pipe or valve to discharge waste water into Marie Canyon. Indeed they don’t . . . but the county does and it simply flushes the pipes on Pepperdine’s behalf. Pepperdine monitors its own water levels which is the equivalent of putting the fox in charge of the hen house and trusting it not to eat the chickens.

    Ms. Ray then asserts that Pepperdine/County already has a wastewater disposal permit and does not engage in the illegal dumping of wastewater. But the permit allows for discharges into Marie Canyon ONLY when emergency circumstances exist and all other storage options have been exhausted.

    The Pepperdine/County has admitted making 395 days of discharges into Marie Canyon between 1995-1999 (an average of more than two and a half months of continuous discharge per year). Is Pepperdine claiming that emergencies conditions existed every time?

    Whether the discharged water is raw sewage or tertiary treated is completely irrelevant. It is obvious to all that Pepperdine/County routinely and systematically dumps its waste water when no true emergency exists. I personally hiked down to the Marie Canyon outflow culvert at the base of PCH and observed the waterfall coming out of that culvert at the beginning of September, and I have date stamped photographs to prove it. I will be delighted to share those pictures to anyone who wishes to see them.

    The Regional Water Quality Control Board will meet on Oct. 12 to discuss this postponed permit renewal request. Once again, I encourage residents to contact the Water Board and make it clear that Pepperdine/County must be made to find other ways of disposing of its waste water. The City of Malibu and the Malibu Road Property Owner’s Association completely opposes our canyons being used as a dumping ground by Pepperdine University/County under any circumstances.

    Contact: Winnie D. Jesena, P.E., Chief, L.A. Coastal Watershed Unit, RWQCB, 320 W. 4th St. #200, L.A., CA 90013. Fax:213-576-6640.

    Melanie Goudzwaard, president

    Malibu Road Property Owner’s Association