The city of Agoura Hills will lead a regional program to monitor water quality in the Malibu Creek watershed, part of an effort to cut pollution and comply with environmental rules, officials said.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to manage the Malibu Creek Watershed Compliance Monitoring Program for the next three years.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board approved the regional monitoring requirement in September 2006 and ordered that the monitoring must begin by March 11, 2008.

Officials said the effort is part of California's need to comply with the 1972 federal Clean Water Act.

The watershed is a 109-square-mile area that drains to Malibu Creek, which flows to Santa Monica Bay.

The purpose of the monitoring program is to reduce the level of pollutants, chiefly bacteria, which regulators refer to as total maximum daily load.

About 18 areas will have monitoring stations for bacteria from both human and nonhuman sources, and other pollution.

After discussions with the cities of Calabasas, Westlake Village, Hidden Hills, Malibu and Thousand Oaks, the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura and the California Department of Transportation, officials agreed that Agoura Hills will begin managing the plan using both city staff members and hired consultants.

"The city of Agoura Hills thought it was their turn because it's a very important issue," said Joe Bellomo, an environmental compliance consultant to the city.

In its unanimous vote Wednesday night, the council decided that Agoura Hills will solicit proposals from private firms for professional water-quality monitoring services, which will constitute a major portion of the project.

All of the watershed cities and Los Angeles County will share in the cost of administering the plan proportionally based on how much of the area is in their respective jurisdictions. About 14.5 percent of the watershed is in Agoura Hills.

The city will collect a 15 percent management fee from the other agencies involved, which will help reduce the fiscal effect on the city, officials said.

Officials declined to state the cost of the project, in part because companies have not submitted their price quotes.

However, some estimates place the cost of the project at several hundred thousand dollars during the three-year period.