Beach Trading Blog

This Thursday, November 5th, an important hearing is happening in downtown Los Angeles that could help to finally clean up the water at world famous Malibu Surfrider Beach and we here at Beach Trading are encouraging all of our Southern California customers to attend!

For those of you who may not know, Surfrider Beach is where Gidget actually surfed and grew up. It’s waves are know around the world for their perfection,  she’s the crown jewel of surfing and the birthplace of the California beach lifestyle. Unfortunately  Surfrider is also one of the state’s most polluted beaches, receiving poor water quality grades every year for nearly two decades in both wet and dry weather.

What causes the pollution? Unfortunately the city of Malibu still uses underground septic tanks for their sewage. Commercial and residential septic tanks in the Malibu Civic Center area are a significant source of pollutants into Lower Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and ultimately Surfrider Beach. As a result these areas are all included on the EPA’s list as impaired for recreation.

There’s no sadder sight than watching long, perfect rights peel off of First Point only to find the beach is closed because of sewage in the water!

Now, with encouragement from the public and  the Surfrider Foundation,  the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) has stepped in to solve this serious public health issue. The RWQCB is proposing a prohibition on new septics and a phase-out of current septics in the Civic Center area while the City of Malibu pursues a permanent solution. Prohibitions like this have worked in other areas and it can work here.

The hearing will be held this Thursday at  9am:
Metropolitan Water Board
700 N Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA

If you can’t make the hearing please sign this petition: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/cleanwateratthebu_06_09