Las Virgenes Municipal Water District has long been committed to environmental stewardship, knowing the importance of Malibu Creek and the Santa Monica Mountains to our region, our customers, and our quality of life. This commitment has gained national and regional recognition for the district’s leadership roles in water recycling and construction of the groundbreaking Rancho Las Virgenes Composting Facility, to provide total beneficial reuse of waste, combined with ongoing support for research and programs to further improve the "health" of the creek system.

What’s a TMDL?

As part of its regulatory functions, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) is proposing new, stringent standards for the waters of Malibu Creek and its tributaries. These strict new regulations are in the form of "TMDLs", short for Total Maximum Daily Loads. TMDLs are assigned to substances believed to cause an "impairment" to a body of water. In this case, limits for nutrients throughout Malibu Creek are proposed because they are believed by the Regional Board to be the cause of excess algae found in Malibu Creek and its tributaries. Excess algae are seen as an impairment to the aesthetics of the creek, its use for recreation and perhaps to some aquatic life.

If the proposed TMDLs are adopted, an investment upwards of $150 million would be necessary for LVMWD’s Tapia Water Reclamation Facility to meet the new standards. To illustrate the severity of the new limits, the proposed TMDL for nitrogen in Malibu Creek is ten times more stringent than the State’s limit for tap water. Believe it or not, it could technically become illegal to pour a glass of tap water into Malibu Creek.

Will the new standards help?

Research on nutrients has been in progress for several years; to date there is no clear scientific link to support the conclusion that the proposed TMDLs will eliminate algae. Even the scientists behind the studies recommend further analysis and propose standards be set to address different conditions in specific stretches of the creek.

Further, we know that algae are found in great abundance well above Tapia’s discharge point and in many of the tributaries above Malibu Creek. Tapia does not release any of its highly treated water into the creek from mid-April to mid-November of each year, yet algae are found in greatest abundance during that period.

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District supports investing in programs and activities that directly improve conditions in our local environment, as demonstrated by expenditures for water recycling, biosolids composting, creek monitoring and research, as well as education programs to encourage local residents to "live lightly" in the very special area where we live. It is difficult however, to justify spending $150 million ratepayer dollars on a project that may amount to little more than an unsuccessful "experiment."

Before spending your funds, the District believes regulations must be reasonable and effective. For that to happen, there has to be a direct connection between the science and positive results in Malibu Creek. Proper time must be devoted to study the proposal and provide an opportunity for discussion and input by the community that will ultimately pay the costs.

What can you do?

Stay informed on the progress of the proposed standards. For more information, visit www. yourwater.org. Check in for updates and register to receive information about developments regarding this important issue.

Your participation does matter. Together, we can work toward watershed quality improvements that make scientific and economic sense.

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