Water board bans septic tanks

Regional water regulators voted to ban septic tanks in the heart of Malibu after a prolonged battle over bacterial pollution leaching into the ocean at some of the state’s most popular and famous beaches.

Residents and city leaders have long opposed switching from septic tanks to sewer pipes out of concern it would invite massive development to the rustic community.

Members of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board on Thursday voted to yank the city’s ability to manage commercial septic systems and directed staff to draft a plan banning septic tanks in the city center and to come up with a proposal for a wastewater treatment plant that would break ground in the next few years.