Water officials ban septic tanks in Malibu

Nov. 6, 2009 | AP

Water officials have banned septic tanks in portions of Malibu, ending years of wrangling between surfers, environmentalists and residents in the celebrity-filled community.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board agreed late Thursday to ban the tanks in central and eastern Malibu. Businesses were given until 2015 and residents until 2019 to hook into a central sewage system.

Surfers and environmentalists have said for years that raw sewage from septic tanks has polluted Malilbu shores, including Surfrider Beach.

Residents argued that installing a sewage system would prompt massive development in the rustic area. The city was incorporated in 1991 specifically to stop construction of a county sewer line.

© 2009 The Associated Press.

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