EPA Ups Water Quality Standards for Malibu Creek

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted new water quality standards for Malibu Creek and Lagoon earlier this month. 

The standards were implemented on July 2 to reduce or eliminate the presence of algae in the watershed. The EPA also released new “Total Maximum Daily Loads” (TMDLs) for nitrogen and phosphorous in Malibu Creek that require changes to the existing wastewater treatment processes, according to the Las Virgenes – Triunfo Joint Powers Authority (JPA).

At a workshop held in Agoura Hills on May 1, the EPA's Cindy Lin presented findings as to why the Malibu Creek Watershed is considered "impaired water" and why it must be restored.

Lin had explained that once a body of water is cited as "impaired," new pollution reduction plans must be implemented and cited that the problems were identified as sedimentation and benthic macroinvertibrates.

"Our new TMDL does not include implementation ... only data and research," Linn told Patch. "That is up to the state, which they verbally said they would do."

Linn said that the next steps would take upwards of a year and include an involved public process.

According to officials from JPA, the new regulations, when implemented, will have a severe impact on wastewater treatment costs for local customers.

“We are still examining the documents released by the EPA, but we’re concerned that decades of research show Malibu Creek has very high natural levels of the constituents EPA seeks to control," said  David W. Pedersen, administering agent and general manager for the JPA. "We are very disappointed to see that sound science is being compromised in a rush to establish regulations not supported by science or the community."

Linn said she collected "everybody's data" and evaluated the information, comparing impacted sites with un-impacted sites.

"We looked where the pollutants are naturally occurring and where it is man-made, and we still found that there was a problem," she said.

The JPA Board will be considering several options, including additional legal remedies, "to ensure the concerns of the community are heard and compliance costs are linked to tangible benefits,” JPA Vice Chair Charles Caspary said.

"I don't want the public to worry about a huge rate increase," Linn said. "This will not lead to the kind of costs that's been thrown around out there."