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District defends water quality
Tapia says treatment uninterrupted during fire
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More from County NewsA regional wastewater-treatment system operated continuously during the Malibu Canyon fire emergency and should not be blamed for any water-quality issues in the Malibu area, officials said Wednesday.
Local officials issued that declaration after the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health advised people not to come into contact with ocean water in the Malibu area.
The Tapia Water Reclamation Facility, which serves an area that includes Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and part of Thousand Oaks, was fully operational throughout the fire, said John R. Mundy, chief administrative officer for the joint powers agency that operates the plant.
The Malibu Canyon plant has been a target of critics who question its effects on Malibu Creek and the ocean.
"Tapia has continually treated wastewater, and I want to emphasize that there have been no discharges of treated or untreated effluent to Malibu Creek coming from the Tapia facility," Mundy said in a written statement.
"While there may be legitimate concerns about contaminants from other sources in the ocean, we believe it's important for the public to know that we have continually treated some 9 million gallons of wastewater each day throughout the fire emergency, and returned that treated water safely to the environment in the form of recycled water for irrigation purposes," he said.
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