RWQCB Airs Lumber Center Permit

• Complex Appears Unlikely to Meet Holiday Opening Date

BY BILL KOENEKER

What some thought might be a showdown between the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the City of Malibu over a wastewater discharge permit for its Malibu Lumber shopping center appears to have simmered down.
There is no bus of supporters going to the hearing on Thursday in Ventura County, and, privately, many city officials say it is a cut-and-dried matter to obtain the permit, given the extensive conditions required by the RWQCB staff, which is recommending approval of the discharge permit.
What is still to be determined is when the shopping center will open. Months ago, city officials and the developer announced the center would be doing business by the middle of October. That date has come and gone and talk of opening by Christmas to rake in holiday dollars also appears to have also gone by the wayside. A public relations specialist hired by developer Richard Weintraub was not available for comment.
The RWQCB’s 33-page tentative order spells out the requirements and conditions for the wastewater discharge permit and water reclamation requirements for a system that will utilize a portion of the city’s Legacy Park.
The state agency’s order indicates the contention that the shopping center redevelopment site is not large enough for disposal of its wastewater through a conventional septic system.
Consequently, the application for a permit calls for discharging treated effluent through a leachfield in Legacy Park, constructing pipelines and a pumping system for recycled and reclaimed water for irrigation in Legacy Park, and the diverting a portion of the influent to holding tanks for emergency discharge. It’s not clear how this might delay the center’s opening.
The state agency also has expressed concern about sufficient separation between the water table and the base of the leachfield. An extensive groundwater system is required, and, if the groundwater table rises to within five feet of the base of leach field, additional separation measures will be required, including reduced restaurant use, additional water conservation and equalization tank pumping on an emergency basis.