Malibu

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized a request for bids to build water transport pipes, a 267,000-gallon storage tank and a service road in the hills above Paradise Cove--a long-delayed project that would bring the Winding Way-DeButts Terrace area into the county water system.

“I think that getting the bids will be a telling part of the puzzle,” said Peter Ireland, Malibu field deputy to 4th District Supervisor Deane Dana. Bids are due Nov. 22, project manager Michael Nagao said.

The cost of the water project was estimated in 1981 at $3.3 million. Recently county officials said the cost may have risen to as much as $5.3 million but said a final estimate will depend on the bids.

Because the property owners agreed to pay for the system, an increase in the project cost would force a reassessment of each share. The change would give property owners a new chance to reject the system, a matter of concern to some residents who are importing water now and others who have not been able to get building permits because of the lack of water.