MALIBU—Malibu’s residents are not going to see Broad Beach to be restored at least for another year due to regulatory reasons.
The Malibu Broad Beach Replenishment project which is expected to create a new 1.1 mile public beach with a restored dune system and was permitted by a divided California Coastal Commission in October 2015. The project has been delayed because project proponents failed to summit a mandatory beach sampling test this past spring.
The attorney for the Broad Beach Geologic Hazard Abatement District told the Ventura County Star that the purpose of the test is to ensure the project will not bring any damaging impact to the beach. The permit requires them to get baseline beach monitored for spring and fall or the project will not be implemented.
“And for whatever reason, we missed the spring 2016 sampling, which we will now do in spring 2017. We’re doing the fall sampling literally as we’re speaking right now,” said Ken Ehrlich. He also added that September 2017 is the earliest estimate when the beach can be replenished.
There is ongoing litigation concerning how the sand should be transported. Ventura County and Fillmore sued Moorpark and Broad Beach’s district for reaching an illegal Traffic Regulation Agreement in April. Broad Beach’s district agreed not to travel the beach via Moorpark for sand transportation from quarries in Grimes Canyon. The hauling route will include only Fillmore, Ventura, Oxnard and unincorporated areas.
The parties will attempt to resolve the litigation in a court –ordered mediation on November 17. The failure of doing so will take the lawsuit to the trial on December 20 at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
