Local News in Brief : Scaled-Down Sewer Plan Supported

The county Board of Supervisors endorsed in concept Tuesday a scaled-down Malibu sewer plan that would allow a majority of residents to continue to use septic tanks and would cost $34 million, contrasted with $86 million for a system the county backed until 1,000 residents protested last fall.

The new plan, submitted by a committee of Malibu residents, merchants and landowners, would cost the average homeowner about $4,000 instead of the $12,000 minimum that had been projected for the earlier proposal. Property owners whose septic tanks work properly would not be forced to hook up.

The proposal calls for construction of a small sewer system in Malibu’s Civic Center area and a septic tank pumping system that would carry waste water from troubled landslide areas, such as Big Rock Mesa, to a central disposal plant near the Civic Center. The plan also recommends creation of a special district run by local residents to operate the sewer system.

“At long last I think we have some viable solutions that will be accepted by the community,� Supervisor Ed Edelman said.

If supervisors approve the plan in its final form in January, construction could begin within a year, officials said.