Malibu Colony beach homes may get sewer hookup; Serra Estates exempt Play

Homeowners along the beach in the Malibu Colony area may soon be connected to the city's sewer system. But residents of the Serra Estates neighborhood, east of Malibu Creek, may get a pass.

Next Monday, the City Council will hear the latest details about whether the homeowners on the beach will go along with that.

The city is balancing on a tightrope here. Ever since 2009, Malibu has been under orders from the Regional Water Quality Control Board to replace the septic systems in use for 100 years in the Malibu Civic Center area.

The septic systems are not passing bacteria or viruses from human sewage into the ocean or lagoon. But they are passing large amounts of human waste leftovers into the public waters — phosphorous and nitrogen. This in turn has caused other bad bacteria and viruses, from birds and other sources, to bloom.

The city built Phase 1 of the sewer. In 2017, the city promised that all properties within the Phase 2 boundary would be connected to the sewer by November 2024. That part of the sewer is not even under planning yet.

Serra Estates is getting out of the commitment because artifacts from ancient Indians have been found — can't dig that up. But the water district wants the total fertilizer load to be decreased, so they want the sewers extended to houses along Malibu Road.

The city council will get an update on all this next Monday.