La Paz Plans Nearing the Finish Line

• Regional Water Board Slated to Hear Discharge Permit

BY BILL KOENEKER

The La Paz retail and office complex planned for the Civic Center area next to the library could be clearing one of its last hurdles when the proposal’s wastewater treatment plant’s discharge permit is heard by the Regional Water Quality Control Board in July.

In a somewhat surprising move, the RWQCB has scheduled a public hearing for the permits required by the state agency. The project has the approval of the City of Malibu and the California Coastal Commission, and includes a development agreement that would give the city 2.3 acres of land to be used for municipal uses, such as a wastewater treatment plant.

The board is scheduled to hear the permit request at its July 9 meeting in Ventura. The board is expected to act on the application for waste discharge requirements and for water recycling requirements. If the board decides not to approve the permit, it can direct further investigation.

Written comments and testimony regarding the order must be received at the board’s office no later than June 14.

The Los Angeles staff and the developers had been involved in a tug of war about the zero discharge system, with the RWQCB insisting it did not have enough information to process the application and La Paz officials insisting they have a valid permit since the RWQCB failed to hear the matter in a timely manner as required by the Permit Streamlining Act.

La Paz developers want to build about 100,000 square feet of offices, retail and restaurants on about 15 acres.

The facility will generate an average of 19,000 gallons per day of effluent treated to Title 22 recycled water quality, which will be used for irrigation and recycling, accordion to RWQCB documents.

The system also includes a  segmented storage tank of 800,000 gallons.

The reclaimed water system includes storage of treated effluent, landscaping irrigation on the property, toilet recycling and possibly delivery to recycle/reclaimed system users who have yet to be identified. The system is designed for 100 percent recycling, but if effluent cannot be discharged through irrigation or during system malfunction, storage is available.

The RWQCB’s tentative order sets out a plan for how the plant should be monitored, how recycling should be managed and various discharge requirement limiting the amount of chemicals, compounds and nutrients allowed in the treated effluent.