LOS ANGELES : Supervisors Drop Bid to Build Malibu Sewer

County supervisors threw in the towel Tuesday on efforts to build a sewer in the posh seaside community of Malibu.

The action ends a 27-year-old controversy rooted in Malibu residents’ fears of overdevelopment balanced by the county’s efforts to avoid liability in case of landslides caused by septic tank outflow. In a 3-2 vote, with supervisors Mike Antonovich and Deane Dana opposed, the board decided to give to Malibu the responsibility of building its own sewer system--or not building one.

In doing so, the county agreed to reimburse $31.7 million to bondholders who invested in a proposed sewer project for the 2-year-old city. Malibu residents had successfully voted down bond issues for sewers three times since 1966, and they began a long legal battle with Los Angeles County when a heavily modified sewer plan was approved in 1988 and the county sold bonds to finance the project.

Malibu City Manager David Carmany called Tuesday’s vote “a major step for the city” that ends legal battles between Malibu and Los Angeles County over the sewer issue. “Both parties put aside their litigation,” Carmany said. “The settlement reached June 15 means no future tax assessment for sewer systems that would never have been built. This means the city gains complete jurisdiction of management of its waste water.”