Embargo until:
October 11, 2007
News
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Contact: Kerjon Lee
Office: (626) 458-4348
Mobile: (626) 476-0533
[email protected]
New Water Treatment System Targets Bacteria at
One of the State’s “Worst” Beaches for Water Quality
Water quality advocates celebrate as a new dry weather runoff treatment system
comes online in the heart of one of the County’s most desirable coastal communities.
Malibu, Calif.
NEWS FACTS
• Chairman of the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, Heal the
Bay President Mark Gold, and elected officials from the City of Malibu dedicated a new
$1.3 million water quality improvement project today in the city of Malibu. The County
of Los Angeles owned and operated facility will treat as much as 100 gallons per minute
of dry weather runoff flowing from Marie Canyon, effectively removing bacteria and
other pollutants before they reach the public beach at the canyon’s outlet to the ocean.
•
For the past two years, water quality at the beach outlet of Marie Canyon has ranked
among the three worst in the state, according to Heal the Bay’s Annual Beach Report
Card. Seizing an opportunity to reduce high bacteria levels using emerging stormwater/
urban runoff technology, the County partnered with Clear Creek Systems, a Bakersfieldbased water treatment solutions firm, to install the company’s patented dry weather
runoff treatment system. Similar units are in operation in Paradise Cove in the city of
Malibu, Moonlight Beach in the city of Encinitas, and Aliso Viejo Creek in Orange
County.
•
Clear Creek Systems’ urban runoff treatment system relies on filtration using multimedia and organo-clay beds to remove common pollutants like litter, leaves, oils, and
pesticides. The water is then passed through a series of two Ultraviolet (UV) light filters
to eliminate bacteria and viruses. A telemetry system, scheduled for installation next
spring, will provide real-time, remote monitoring of water quality data by County of
Los Angeles Department of Public Works staff.
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New Water Treatment System Targets Bacteria at
One of the State’s “Worst” Beaches for Water Quality
2-2-2
•
The County of Los Angeles and City of Malibu worked closely with locals to minimize
any impact the facility might have on their quality of life. As a result, a third of the
facility was built below street level and the remaining exterior is covered with a façade of
natural Malibu stone. Pumps used to cycle runoff through the system are housed in a subgrade concrete vault that muffles the sound of the system’s intermittent operation. In
coming months, the outside of the facility will receive a treatment of ornamental,
drought-resistant shrubs and trees.
•
Funding: $950,000 from a State Water Resources Control Board Proposition 13 Grant
and $350,000 from the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. Total $1.3 million.
•
The County of Los Angeles operates 18 other devices in the Santa Monica Bay that
address dry weather urban runoff. These low-flow diversions redirect urban runoff away
from the ocean to nearby sewage treatment facilities and were credited as playing a key
role in the reduction of Santa Monica Bay beach closures last summer.
ATTRIBUTABLE QUOTES
Note to editor: Contact Kerjon Lee for additional quotes.
"In water-quality terms, our new Marie Canyon plant is transforming an ugly duckling into a
swan. That's great news not just for the City of Malibu and Southern California beachgoers,
but for clean water advocates throughout the state."
– Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
“Puerco Beach at Marie Canyon has been one of the most polluted beaches along the Bay for
the last couple of years. Heal the Bay commends the County of Los Angeles for their efforts
in building this facility in such a rapid fashion to protect the public health of swimmers.”
– Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay
“Malibu's number one goal is to have consistent high water quality at our beaches for
swimmers and surfers. Reaching that goal requires partnerships with the County, residents,
businesses, visitors and environmental groups. This treatment facility is a prime example of
success through cooperation.”
– Jeff Jennings, Mayor of the City of Malibu
###
ABOUT THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES STORMWATER PROGRAM
The County of Los Angeles maintains 500 miles of open channel, 2,800 miles of underground
storm drain and 79,000 catch basins. The County’s stormwater program is developed under the
oversight of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency that is
responsible for overseeing these programs, and is undertaken in partnership with the cities at the
beaches and in the watersheds. The County’s stormwater program includes multifaceted public
education efforts such as stenciling storm drains and airing public service announcements, as
well as extensive structural improvements, such as devices to exclude trash from entering into
the streams and waterbodies and low-flow stormwater diversion devices at the beaches.