Sunday, May 26, 2013

Residents for Clean Water and Healthy Wetlands


The 411 just got off the phone with Residents for Clean Water and Healthy Wetlands who have asked that the attached ad be placed on the Real Malibu 411. When I asked them why they didn't want to put the ad in the Surfside News, they said the following:

"We do not want to finance a media outlet that was completely void of any journalistic integrity."

 Forwarded on behalf of Residents for Clean Water and Healthy Wetlands




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Friday, May 17, 2013

Surf Snide Snooze

Attention: Malibu 

This ad was in this week's Surfside News 

Brought to you by Malibu's Pro Dirty Water Advocates who are encouraging the community to "BANISH" U.S.  citizens from Malibu. Not only is this full page ad elitist, it is UN-AMERICAN, UN-DEMOCRATIC and ILLEGAL. 

An entitled few wanting to dictate the will of California voters who passed the Clean Water BOND MEASURE in order to clean up our waterways and improve water quality. The people behind this ad the same ones who want to continue violating septic discharges into our waterways and beaches. This is a perfect example of the mentality behind those who want to dictate their own self interest over the health and welfare of the greater good and is without a doubt disturbing to say the least. Malibu Residents should be ashamed that this mind set exist. in our 27 miles of beauty .
   Who are these people that distort and twist the truth and why didn't they have the guts to sign there names to this?
Who is "Citizens Against Bond Money Run Wild" and why isn't there any information on this "group"?

What kind of a 'newspaper' would take money for and print an advertisement like this?

  These people were working on State land, not Malibu and, State land owned by all Californians in order to solve the problems caused by local policies. Concrete and ceramic pipes linking the Colony to the lagoon were discovered, severed and capped. Is this the root of the foulness of this ad? 

Is this sour grapes on steroids?   

Disgusted, 
Steve Woods 
The Real Malibu 411




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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Latest Aerial View of the Malibu Lagoon

Below are recent aerial photos of the Malibu Lagoon from State Parks...



Lagoon opponent Andy Lyon had this to say about the aerial pictures posted on PATCH this morning:

Andy Lyon

Look how much water is in there now ....so unnatural !
I crossed the bridge back in Cross Creek a couple of days ago and its close to 3 feet deep back there. It's called Cross Creek because you could cross the creek , right ? Not anymore...without the bridge back there , no way. You used to drive right down into and across it. This lagoon is holding water all the way back past serra retreat.
The 411 response:
Andy's theory defies logic and physics. Can Andy really say with a straight face that the restoration is causing the closed off lagoon to back up higher into the creek towards Serra Retreat?? Seriously? That is a hydrological impossibility. It backs higher because the water levels are high nearing the crest of the berm! Is Andy is claiming the restoration causes more water to come down from the upper watershed? 


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Monday, May 13, 2013

Is Algae A Friend or Foe for the Lagoon?


This picture was sent by a prominent opponent  Andy Lyon 

 "Here is your winter walkway! Full of algae already!"

Yes and there is algae in the main channel and algae on the north side of the PCH bridge and on up into the watershed. Its pretty common occurrence when the sun starts to heat up.
  
We are not sure why Andy has a problem with algae, but we are open to what ever information he would like to provide. Is it a visual problem? Algae in and of it self is not a bad thing unless it gets to levels that can use up too much oxygen, but circulation in the lagoon in general has been increased to counter balance that effect.Too many nitrates and phosphates can encourage rapid algae growth and Tapia partly to blame when they are discharging from Nov. 15th to April 15th. It can't be ruled out that Colony septics are still contributing to nitrates ( from human waste ) and phosphates ( from household cleansers ) entering the underground water table. There are also barnacles which is a benthic community organism that is growing on the underside of the ramp. This is another good sign the lagoon is healthier as it also been a place for fish to hide out from the bigger predator fish that lurk in the more open water. The water probes have had clusters of barnacles which were non-existent in the old channels. The Egrets don't mind the algae on the ramp, seem to like fishing there and eat the insects that gather on the algae. It will be interesting to see what happens when the lagoon breaches and the ramp is not submerged. I suppose the State will have to waterjet any algae off the ramp that does not get pulled out when the lagoon drains. 



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Malibu Creek 1903


The Malibu Creek used to constantly evolve and meander but development has constricted the creeks freedom to flow through the Civic Center flood plain. This map clearly shows a body of water where the Colony homes are today. Before many of the Colony homes were built, the wetland channels had to be filled in with road fill destroying the natural wetland ecosystem.  

 

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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Malibu Lagoon "Massive Fail"???

Below is a blog post by Susan Tellem, a Malibu local who has been an outspoken opponent of the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project. Since day one, when the Wetlands Defense Fund and their posse of obstructionists to this project collected big BIG checks from those who had a vested interest in stopping the restoration, they embarked on a PR smear campaign to distort the truth about the merits to clean up the EPA deemed dysfunctional lagoon. There are too many false claims to mention here, but last month's Audubon Bird survey ( see article below the blog post by Susan Tellem ), done by experts with trained eyes will set the record straight.

 Numbers don't lie and the numbers are already quite impressive in the first few months after the restoration was completed.

Local Voices
Known as The Queen at work, Tellem is a PR maven and public safety wonk.

Malibu Lagoon: 8 Ducks, 4 Coots, a Few Mosquito Fish - Massive Fail

Posted on May 11, 2013 at 6:42 pm
After a fabulous lunch at Tra Di Noi with my hubby and kids for Mother's Day, we decided to take in the Malibu Lagoon remodeling.  Whatever it was before, it is nothing like that now.  It is a desert with no plants, animals, fish, birds, reptiles, bugs, butterflies...nothing but a few measley birds.  It is a wasteland. 
We didn't even see an ant, a lizard or a fly.  We have an entire ecosystem in our yard.  Here it's just a big cesspool of algae, dead plants, graffiti, cigarette butts and some viewing platforms that are perfect for a slippery dip into the water.  Walk on the ramp, and you'll soon be holding your nose under the faux lagoon. 
The bathrooms were missing (all that money and no real bathrooms?). The Malibu Colony people are basiclaly trapped - the back doors open on a tiny strip of land that will not allow them to even take a kid in a stroller out in a fire. There were a few visitors and a handful of surfers, but on this gorgeous May day, there were empty chairs and picnic tables and a few cars in the $12 parking .




Malibu Lagoon Field Trip Report: 28 April, 2013

APRIL 30, 2013
tags: 
by 
A foggy morning at the lagoon, outlet closed, the water high, colored flags marking the small plants, an occasional unflagged weed and, frankly, not many birds. See the charts below and on our Lagoon Project Page for the statistics.
Channel area view from Las Virgenes Rd. (L. Plauzoles 04/13/13)
Channel area view from Las Virgenes Rd. (L. Plauzoles 04/13/13)
 The ducks are dwindling as springtime calls them north. It was an off day for the shorebirds, with only five “peeps” present: two Western Sandpipers, a single Ruddy Turnstone, two Spotted Sandpipers now sporting breeding breast-spots. The gulls continue to be fewer than average: we didn’t find any Ring-bills among the few California and Western Gulls, but Heermann’s, absent since January, begin to return from their breeding grounds on islands near the tip of Baja California. A single Clark’s Grebe was out past the kelp with a small group of Western Grebes.
"Elegant, my primaries! He tries that with me, Marge, and he's going to be the least tern you ever saw." (C.Bragg 2011)
“Elegant, my foot! He tries that with me, Marge, and he’s going to be the least tern you ever saw.” (C.Bragg 2011)
The Elegant Terns returned, resting en route to breeding grounds farther north. They looked great and they knew it, breasts rosy from a crustacean diet, with fine black crests. Many attempted mating. ABlack-crowned Night Heron hid in the trees by the Adamson House beach fence, a White-tailed Kite searched the perimeter, eight Semipalmated Plovers combed the beach wrack, two Black Oystercatchers worked the low-tide rocks, six Caspian and three Royal Terns kept the cacophonous Elegant Terns company, and a young male Hooded Oriole – yellow, not orange – was a nice treat near the picnic table corner.
The tidal clock was working – 8 ft. 4 in. was the time, I think. A good high tide with some wave action may well open an outlet near Adamson House.
Tidal Clock at work, ticking away (J. Kenney 4/16/13)
Tidal Clock at work, ticking away (J. Kenney 4/16/13)
Our next three field trips:  Morongo Valley Preserve, 4-5 May; Malibu Lagoon, 26 May, 8:30am; Malibu Lagoon, 23 June, 8:30am.
Our next program:  Tuesday, 7 May., 7:30 pm. Eight-legged Science: The Spider Lab at Loyola Marymount University, with Dr. Martin Ramirez. The usual reminders will be emailed from the blog.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalks have resumed.
Comments on Bird Lists BelowTotal Birds:   March total birds of 666 are 34% below average; low numbers are mainly in the Brown Pelicans (-158) and Gulls & Terns (-197).
Species Diversity:  April 2013 with 56 species was 2% below the 57.2 6-year average, a minor variance.
Summary of species diversity from the 6-year average so far:  June -10%, July +10%, Aug. -6%, Sep. -20%, Oct. +5%, Nov +2%, Dec -4%, Jan +2%, Feb -8%, March +9%, April -2%. Still, the only constant is change.
10-year comparison summaries are available on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page.   [Chuck Almdale]
200820092010201120122013
27-Apr26-Apr25-Apr24-Apr22-Apr28-Apr
Temperature75-9060-7062-7059-6860-6557-68
Tide Lo/Hi HeightL +0.5H +3.7H +4.57L +0.19H +3.67L -1.10Ave.
Tide Time100011280744101411060609Birds
Brant1331.2
Gadwall1561224141213.8
American Wigeon492.2
Mallard25162022163021.5
Northern Shoveler122.0
Surf Scoter305.0
Red-brstd Merganser43532.5
Ruddy Duck1039207.0
Pacific Loon22420315.3
Common Loon1310.8
Pied-billed Grebe441262.8
Eared Grebe621.3
Western Grebe5035212819.3
Brandt’s Cormorant813173.3
Dble-crstd Cormorant25142219652227.8
Pelagic Cormorant211211.2
Brown Pelican35781827408034191.5
Great Blue Heron214121.7
Great Egret22221.3
Snowy Egret871311999.5
Blk-crwnd N-Heron11110.7
Red-tailed Hawk120.5
Sora1110.5
American Coot65383532955853.8
Blk-bellied Plover307118.0
Snowy Plover1361.7
Semipalmated Plover151513253813.2
Killdeer4248424.0
Black-necked Stilt40.7
Spotted Sandpiper133121.7
Willet44111.7
Whimbrel1653584.7
Marbled Godwit10483.7
Ruddy Turnstone5252115.7
Black Turnstone120.5
Surfbird30.5
Western Sandpiper1510121629.2
Least Sandpiper423025511.0
Boneparte’s Gull521.2
Heermann’s Gull3145311411.2
Ring-billed Gull844522014.7
Western Gull35851051608511297.0
California Gull6561084507525121.5
Glaucous-wingd Gull312131.7
Caspian Tern1341306125629.3
Forster’s Tern210.5
Royal Tern42131.7
Elegant Tern245700401265134199.3
Rock Pigeon64443125.5
Mourning Dove2264223.0
Anna’s Hummingbird2122211.7
Allen’s Hummingbird3432243.0
Black Phoebe610108477.5
American Crow4545544.5
Rough-wingd Swallow4310166108.2
Barn Swallow84210165.2
Cliff Swallow20424.3
Bushtit626243.3
Bewick’s Wren2110.7
Northern Mockingbird4122252.7
European Starling664444.0
Cedar Waxwing203.3
Yellow-rumpd Warbler241.0
Common Yellowthroat12632.0
Spotted Towhee1141.0
California Towhee320.8
Song Sparrow8612108159.8
Red-winged Blackbird21161.7
Great-tailed Grackle12852.7
Brwn-headed Cowbird12121.0
House Finch64610686.7
Lesser Goldfinch2120.8
Totals by Type27-Apr26-Apr25-Apr24-Apr22-Apr28-AprAve.
Waterfowl74373851656856
Water Birds-Other200138284820250160309
Herons, Egrets1381516131413
Raptors0203111
Shorebirds521097374633267
Gulls & Terns373844339743272297478
Doves961095149
Other Non-Pass.6554455
Passerines80539283607574
Totals Birds807120285618037336661011
200820092010201120122013
Total Species27-Apr26-Apr25-Apr24-Apr22-Apr28-AprAve.
Waterfowl4544654.7
Water Birds-Other127999109.3
Herons, Egrets4223443.2
Raptors0202111.0
Shorebirds111211612910.2
Gulls & Terns7999778.0
Doves3223222.3
Other Non-Pass.3222222.2
Passerines17151817151616.3
Totals Species61565755585657.2

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Malibu "Lake-goon" 1941

Some in opposition to the Malibu Lagoon Restoration claim that the new lagoon looks like a "lake" and that it has never looked like a "lake" before. They also claim that the breach point was always at the west end of the Lagoon berm. 

 Here is a picture in 1941 of the lagoon looking like a "lake" before third point was created 28 years later in the winter floods of 1969.

Notice there is no breach opening in the berm. After the epic floods of 1938, the creek breached at first point for almost ten years continuously. This picture was taken after Pacific Coast Highway was cut through the hill across the street from Surfrider and the Cal Trans clay deposits had already been dumped in the wetlands channels that ran behind the Colony beach sand berm. The creek side channels under the present day Cross Creek Rd. ( for which the road was named ) were also filled in along with the PCH bridge which further impeded the natural flow of the creek into the wetland ecosystem and out to the sea .
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Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Grand Opening of The Malibu Lagoon

Congrats to EcoMalibu on the amazing job caputring the best moments of the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Grand Opening. A day long awaited by all who worked so hard to restore an ailing lagoon!


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411 Response to the EPA's Concern About the Malibu Creek Watershed


   You would think that because Malibu residents are at the receiving end of a vast aquatic exhaust pipe of the Malibu Creek watershed that Malibu residents and ocean enthusiasts would want to promote better water quality from upstream sources of pollution. Those who opposed the Lagoon Restoration all pointed upstream demanding that the upper watershed was a priority to clean up first, but it appears now that those who wanted an impaired Lagoon to remain impaired do not want to promote measures to clean up the upper watershed. Will Malibu continue to have this twisted elitist reputation as discharge violators through antiquated septic systems that pollute our waterways and ocean? Continue their obstruction to improve impaired and dysfunctional wetlands known to be a health hazard to surfers and wildlife? Could it now be possible that some may even want to keep human sourced contaminants flowing down to our beaches? You would think that we want clean water to surf, swim and boogie in but Andy Lyon, Wendi Werner and other obstructionist now appear to be siding with discharge violators and Tapia with their desire to remain irresponsible for their part in the degradation of the Malibu Creek watershed. Why are some Malibu Residents fighting for dirty water? Sour Grapes?
With more and more residents emitting twice as much pollution in the upper watershed, not to mention record numbers of visitors coming to Malibu leaving their human waste in our ground water, efforts to prevent the steady drip of an environmental disaster needs to be stepped up. Below is the recent exchange on PATCH regarding this topic and once again, the vocal minority taking over the thread ( actually every thread ) using bully tactics and fake profiles to lead the community away from the real issue: CLEAN WATER.


Concerns Arise Over EPA's Push to Restore Malibu Creek Watershed

A standing-room-only crowd opposes the expensive clean up that the federal government says is required by law.
PHOTOS (3)
David Pederson of LVMWD addresses the standing-room only crowd, including those standing behind him.
Cindy Lin, of the US EPA, presents her findings.
EPA presentation
VIDEOS (1)
Tensions ran high last week at a workshop where a standing-room-only crowd voiced strong opposition to the proposed restoration of the Malibu Creek Watershed that the federal government says is required.
The meeting, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was hosted by the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority in the council chambes of Agoura Hills City Hall.
Cindy Lin of the EPA presented findings as to why the Malibu Creek Watershed is considered "impaired water" and why it must be restored.
Under the federal Clean Water Act, states are required to develop pollution reduction plans for waters that are impaired by pollutants. Such plans are called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and must be approved by the EPA.
However, local agencies such as the Las Virgenes-Triunfo JPA have expressed concerns over the EPA's findings and the high cost of compliance, sentiments echoed by many of the people in the audience.
Lin explained that once a body of water is cited as "impaired," new pollution reduction plans must be implemented.
The problems were identified, according to Lin, as sedimentation and benthic macroinvertibrates. A recent press release stated:
Benthic communities are aquatic organisms like clams and shellfish that live at the bottom of these water bodies. Protecting these communities is critical for the estuarine and stream ecosystem as it provides the necessary food for birds and other animal life in Malibu Creek.
David Pedersen, general manager for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, said the JPA's concerns included "inadequate evidence" and exorbitant costs of compliance, "estimated to be $307 million in capital and $23.5 million annually for [operation and maintenance]."
"The natural characteristics of the watershed have largely been dismissed," he said.
Other speakers represented Heal the Bay, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the County of Los Angeles and the County of Ventura.
During the presentations, there were frequent outbursts from audience members wanting answers regarding research specifications.
Neil Ticktin, an outspoken local resident and proprietor of the website Westlake Revelations, called upon Lin during the Q & A session to be sure of her facts.
"You use words like 'we think,' 'we believe.' ... Before you go and spend one to two years of my kid's college tuition to go do this, you'd better know....'" he said.
As it stands now, Lin said she will take the communities' concerns back to the EPA to be recorded for consideration, and that nothing is written in stone.
Outside City Hall, Agoura Hills resident Carol Spinner expressed her own concerns.
"If we are so unique here, why aren't we taking our time that this is done right," she said. "This is a huge burden on a very small part of California."

Tema Merback

As usual the government puts its big foot where it doesn't belong! Spending other people's money & wrapping its tentacles around the people until it squeezes the life out of them is its sole purpose!.
Reply

Andy Lyon

From: Lin.Cindy@epamail.epa.gov [Lin.Cindy@epamail.epa.gov]
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 12:13 PM
To: Richard F. Ambrose; gold@ioes.ucla.edu; Shelley Luce
Subject: Allocations/Targets for Malibu Lagoon ( from Socal coastal estuaries)
Rich/Mark/Shelley:
As you know from our discussion last, it's hard to come up with targets or numeric goals
for Malibu Lagoon and the benthic community given we don't have real baseline data
and also no data from a reference site. But, at the end of the day, we still need to
include some goal.
Here's my idea- do a survey of all relevant southern CA coastal estuaries and see what
the species richness has been observed in past studies. My thinking is that as Malibu
Lagoon is restored and conditions improve, it is reasonable to expect greater species
richness. Instead of quibbling about the unknowns (i.e., which functional groups or taxa
should be in Malibu), we want to see more diversity in the Lagoon. Actually, based on TJ
estuary and Mugu Lagoon, there seems to clear evidence of decent benthic community
diversity in a coastal lagoon with good tidal flushing (Rich: you may remember this from
the 1995 Ambrose et al. Report for Malibu). The final goal or target would be to achieve
XX number of total taxa richness on an annual basis, perhaps over a 5 year average.

Andy Lyon

CONT:
This XX number would be based on the average of taxa richness observed across
applicable coastal estuaries.
So, I quickly had a survey of the estuaries and their taxa counts. Please see the
attached doc. Obviously some of the Bays and such would not be exactly comparable.
Rich: let me know which estuaries you think should absolutely be out. There are some
obvious ones and some have data that are not based on unimpacted areas. I just sent
the whole table thinking you'd like to look at everything.
Let me know your thoughts. Cindy
Shelley Luce <sluce@santamonicabay.org>
Friday, November 30, 2012 12:22 PM
Lin.Cindy@epamail.epa.gov; Ambrose, Richard F.; Gold, Mark
RE: Allocations/Targets for Malibu Lagoon ( from Socal coastal estuaries)
From:
Sent: To: Subject:
Wow, what a range. I don't know enough about the different locations - even type of
wetland - to understand why they are so different. I would love the low down from one of
you. I definitely don't know which are most similar nd possibly comparable to Malibu.
Shelley Luce, D.Env.
Executive Director
Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission Pereira Annex MS:8160
1 LMU Drive, Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-216-9827
www.santamonicabay.org
Comment_arrow

Andy Lyon

THIS FROM THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR DESTROYING THE MALIBU LAGOON !
"Wow, what a range. I don't know enough about the different locations - even type of
wetland - to understand why they are so different. I would love the low down from one of
you. I definitely don't know which are most similar nd possibly comparable to Malibu."
Shelley Luce, D.Env.
Executive Director
Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission Pereira Annex MS:8160

Andy Lyon

NO REAL BASELINE DATA !!!
This is such a scam , and Fran Pavely is at Pepperdine today looking to get MORE WATER BONDS to pay for this crap.
WAKE UP !
Reply

Ed

Andy is right. I was at this workshop and was surprised more people from Malibu were not there considering we will be the most effected.
When asked how this was to be paid for the answer was, another water bond.
ALL science must be looked at, not just the hand picked science from Heal the Bay.
Reply

Ed

Everyone should write letters to the EPA.
Reply

Lenny Shaw

Tema, do the tentacles extend to the fire fighters who just put out the last fire? Or the police you call when you are in trouble? Or the road that enables you to get to your house without resorting to a covered wagon? Or which inspects your food???? You get the idea!!! ;)

Ed

Or State parks using money to rip out a lagoon using tens of millions of bond dollars that could have gone towards the fire and police dept. or the money that they want to spend taking down the dam (100 million ). Or the money that they want to use to rip out the watershed? Does this sound familiar , Lenny?
Comment_arrow

Ben Dover

Lenny's a teacher, living on the Teat, he will never understand the frustration from the private sector.

Lenny Shaw

Yeah. It sounds like the familiar cry of the local xenophobes of the BUbble! :)
Reply
Comment_arrow

hellwood

Lenny Straw Man,
You lurk and wait for a perfect time to argue and hate on anything "Malibu", even if you don't get the point of the argument.
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