What makes Malibu special? Septic tanks

updated 4:24 p.m. ET Nov. 19, 2008

MALIBU, Calif. - "Sewer" has always been a dirty word in this celebrity-studded coastal community, which grew up believing that building an underground maze of plumbing would invite the sprawl that covers much of the rest of Southern California.

But the city, which has long relied on septic tanks over sewer pipes, may soon be forced to acquiesce. After a prolonged battle over bacterial pollution in nearby waters, the Regional Water Quality Control Board is weighing a proposed ban on septic tanks in the heart of Malibu — a move some fear could forever alter the rustic character by encouraging rampant development.

"If you come to Malibu you can look up and see the hills still, unlike cities where it's covered in development," Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich said. "For people who live here and visit, it's a sanctuary. We're famous for our beautiful beaches."

But those beaches can harbor unhealthy bacteria as human waste leaks from septic leach fields into groundwater, then trickles into creeks and makes its way to the sea.

Even visiting surfers in Malibu know to keep their mouths closed when riding the breaks at famous Surfrider Beach — one of the state's most popular, scenic and polluted stretches of coast.

"People are always getting sick — sinus infections, stomach, gastrointestinal viruses, and you just chalk it up to this is where I surf," said Joe Melchione of the Malibu Surfing Association.

For years, the city has weathered lawsuits from environmental groups and threats of fines from regulators. But city leaders argue that the occasional stench and pollution come from other things, including a wastewater treatment plant outside the city, storm runoff and animal droppings.

Anti-sewer stand elected one mayor
Resident Walt Keller, who paid just $26,000 for his house decades ago, thinks the septic system works just fine. He worries that his beloved city of multimillion-dollar beachfront homes, oak-shaded canyon roads and locally owned shops could become wall-to-wall condos if a sewer line is allowed to snake in.

"We've beaten them before," said Keller, the city's first mayor, who was elected on a wave of anti-sewer support. "I think we could beat them in court again based on the fact that septic tanks work everywhere else."

In 2004, the city finally approved a plan to turn 15 acres of dirt in the city center into an "environmental cleaning machine" that would scrub storm and wastewater before it polluted Surfrider and other nearby waters.

Ric Francis / AP Mark Abramson of Santa Monica Baykeeper tours Malibu Lagoon, which has seen leaks from septic tanks.

The idea — essentially a wetland — sounded so promising that environmentalists lobbied for about $10 million in state funding. A long list of high-profile residents, including Tom Hanks and Courteney Cox Arquette, donated money to the cause. Pierce Brosnan, Cindy Crawford and Perry Ferrell of Jane's Addiction autographed a surfboard to raise money.

Over time, however, critics said the project, estimated to cost more than $40 million, had deteriorated into little more than a pricey city park. City officials argue that the park will take care of some stormwater pollution, but that they need more time to resolve the wastewater issue.

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