Last-Minute Protest Stalls Malaga Creek Drain Project : Environment: Just as work was about to begin, a conservation group protested that a proposed storm drain would disrupt canyon wildlife.

A $700,000 storm drain project in Malaga Creek Canyon in Palos Verdes Estates has drawn protests from local conservationists who contend that the project will cause irreparable environmental damage.

The storm drain is part of a redevelopment project at the old Roessler Pool site in Malaga Cove. The city-owned property is leased to the private Palos Verdes Beach and Athletic Club, which is restoring a 1920s-vintage clubhouse and pool.

As part of the deal, the city is widening a narrow beach-access road to the site. Installation of the storm drain is a key part of the road widening, and city officials contend that the work will not harm the environment.

“We’ve determined there will be no significant impact on the environment,” city public works director Tim D’Zmura said.

The project has gone through the Planning Commission and was approved by the City Council last spring. Work was scheduled to start almost immediately, but the conservationists protested.

Representatives of Save Our Coastline 2000 wrote to the city June 16 and appeared before the council that same day objecting to the storm drain construction in Malaga Creek Canyon.

“The destruction and filling in of the lower part of this canyon will have a long term and irreparable effect on a one-of-a-kind riparian habitat,” said Gar Goodson, chairman of Save Our Coastline 2000. Hummingbirds, warblers and other “unique and irreplaceable birds” nest in the canyon, he said.

City officials said the belated protest caught them by surprise. The council agreed to postpone construction until the matter can be more fully aired during a July 14 council meeting.

Steep-sided and narrow, Malaga Creek Canyon twists its way down the steep bluffs from Palos Verdes Drive North to the beach, a distance of about a half mile. The creek, a sluggish green stream shaded by willow and brush, flows most of the year.

The storm drain will be installed in the bottom 370 feet of the canyon, and city officials said the upper part of the canyon will not be disturbed.

“This protest has come at the eleventh hour,” City Manager James Hendrickson said. He said the city had followed all of the required procedures to protect the environment, including soliciting public comment, before approving construction last March.

“There were no problems, so the city approved the project and called for bids,” he said. The contract was awarded, and the protest came only after bulldozers moved onto the job site, he said.