LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two environmental groups sued Los Angeles County and the
city of Malibu in an attempt to force them to clean up contaminated water and
urban runoff discharged into coastal waters.
The two lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, come nine months
after the groups filed their intent to sue.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Santa Monica Baykeeper claim
in the lawsuits that the county and city disregarded clean water standards. Data
kept by the county showed Malibu Creek and the Santa Clara, Los Angeles and San
Gabriel rivers exceed safe levels of cyanide, aluminum and fecal coliform, the
groups said.
"It's time to stop going through the motions of fighting water pollution and
actually clean up the water," said David Beckman, who heads the defense
council's coastal water quality project.
The lawsuits also sought to enforce a "no discharge" rule in a coastal
preserve along the northern Los Angeles County shoreline.
Mark Pestrella, assistant deputy director for the county Department of
Public Works, said the lawsuits lacked merit.
Pestrella noted that the county developed a program a decade ago that was
overseen by the regional water quality control board to pinpoint the type and
source of pollutants flowing into the bay.
"We are committed to keeping our waterways safe and protecting the health"
of residents, Pestrella said in a statement.
Malibu City Manager Jim Thorsen said that he had not seen the lawsuits but
that the city has been in "productive discussions" with the environmental groups
about water standards.
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