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.