Beach Town Fights Suburban Sprawl : County Line: The tiny community opposes a builder’s plan to add 50 houses, another restaurant--and a sewer plant.

The tiny beach colony just north of the Los Angeles County line has no gas station, no grocery store and only one restaurant.

Its claim to fame is a brief mention in the Beach Boys song “Surfin’ U.S.A.”

But for the last few months, residents of the sun-swept community of County Line have rallied to block construction of a new sewer plant that would allow their sleepy town to grow quickly.

They hope to kill a project by a Santa Barbara developer that includes the sewer plant, 50 houses and a gourmet restaurant. There now are only 212 luxury homes and condominiums in the 300-person community.

The proposal by Skylark Investment Co. is a sign that the congestion of Los Angeles County will steadily push northward if officials do not halt the sprawl, said Debbie Vrungos, a former Malibu resident. Vrungos said she moved 15 miles north to escape the problems of rapid growth.

“It opens the doors to development,” she said. “I don’t want to be next to a sewage treatment plant. I don’t care if it smells like roses.”

Skylark Investment hopes to build a community on 71 prime ocean-view acres near Pacific Coast Highway. The property’s zoning allows just eight houses to be built. A small sewer plant must be constructed to accommodate more than that, Ventura County officials say.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors blocked Skylark’s sewer project in February by refusing to rezone a half-acre parcel where the plant would be built. The board said it rejected the plant because it would create an island of industry amid a sea of open space.

The board is expected to vote on a revised sewer proposal early next year.

Skylark’s attorney, Neil N. Werb, insists that the plant--a so-called package facility that would process sewage for only a small number of houses--would be a boon to the community. It would recycle about half of the water used by the entire community. The water now is dumped into private septic systems and lost, he said.

“We feel we can save 15 to 20 millions of gallons annually,” Werb said. “The water we can reclaim would be used for landscaping, washing down driveways.”

For years, County Line was known only to a few dedicated surfers and the people who live there.

The community considers itself part of Malibu. Its postal and telephone codes are the same as Malibu’s, and surfers say its tiny strip of beach is one of the best. The town is a cluster of houses and bleached blue-and-white condos on the ocean side of PCH. Its only businesses are Neptune’s Net restaurant and Jammin’ Annie’s produce stand.

County Line has not grown at all for a decade or more. And residents say that is the way they like it. By contrast, Malibu residents voted for cityhood last year partly to fight off attempts by the county to build a costly sewer system to accommodate growth and solve health problems caused by septic tanks.

In County Line, the lack of a sewer plant has blocked Skylark’s project so far.

The existing houses were built before restrictions on septic systems were tightened, said Bill Stratton, a county environmental health officer. Now developers must show that the soil can absorb sewer water before new houses can be built. And soil on Skylark’s property has failed to pass absorption tests, he said.

Without proper absorption, “the system would back up,” Stratton said. “It would overflow.”

Werb maintains that the county’s position is based on old information. He said engineers have performed new tests that show septic systems would be effective on the Skylark property. Stratton said he has received no such results.

The strongest support for Skylark’s sewer plant has come from its own water company, Yerba Buena Water Co. It serves 212 houses and two youth camps by drawing water from an underground basin.

Skylark has promised to build a new water tank and to replace the community’s overtaxed four-inch water line with one eight inches in diameter, water company president Bob Berry said.

A nearby summer camp owned by the Crippled Children’s Society of Southern California would benefit from a new water line, but is among the most vocal opponents to Skylark’s plan. Camp officials say that because of their opposition, the water company has threatened to cut off the water.

Berry said the camp is supplied on a temporary basis and can be cut off during a water shortage. But he said he made no threats.

The 10-acre camp hosts an estimated 300 disabled children and teen-agers during the summer, some of whom have respiratory problems, said Marilyn Graves, executive director of the Crippled Children’s Society.

The society opposes the sewer plant because it would threaten the health of children by spraying treated sewer water onto hillsides next to the camp, Graves said. Officials fear that they may have to close the camp if the plant is built.

“We’re all uneasy,” she said. “It’s obvious that bad air would be blowing over the kids.”

Camp director Lee Ann Gable said most of the recreational activities are aimed at getting children outdoors, such as riding horses and playing with animals. Some can barely breathe, she said. “We have campers that come who are on respirators,” she said.

Other sewer opponents, including two homeowners groups, believe that the treatment plant would lead to traffic congestion and the destruction of plants and wildlife.

People live in unspoiled County Line because “everybody likes it the way it is,” said Hershey Binder, president of the 102-member Malibu Bay Owners Assn.

Malibu Bay Club residents such as Binder bought their condos in Ventura County believing that the tiny community would remain a roadside way station, distinct from their old neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, he said.

“People out here like their privacy and quiet,” he said. “The guy who lives next to me says, ‘It’s like every day I’m on vacation.’ ”