LOS ANGELES Tooling along Pacific Coast Highway in his GMC pickup, Skylar Peak scans the break at Surfrider Beach. Bella, his dog, is leashed in the truck bed, her mohawk shaded by a red, white and blue surfboard bearing the message VOTE PEAK.

As he pulls into the beach parking lot, Peak shouts "Waddup?" and waves at some surfer pals. In a few hours, the Malibu native will paddle out. But at the moment, he has more on his mind than nose-riding.

In April, this celluloid ideal of a waterman became the youngest person elected to Malibu's City Council. His supporters are looking to Peak, 28, to help preserve what's left of their community's rural flavor. He freely voices opinions such as: "I'm not that stoked about development."

With the prospect of more than 1 million square feet of construction looming and with the sewer-versus-septic battle continuing to rage, Malibu stands at an environmental and cultural crossroads. Some residents view development as vital to the city's economic health. Others fret that their beach town is turning into Rodeo Drive west, with posh boutiques supplanting local shops that can't afford rising rents.

Big-money projects are popping up all over town. Software mogul Larry Ellison is building two restaurants near the pier. A Whole Foods is coming to the Civic Center. A developer has proposed a 146-room luxury hotel on 28 vacant acres at Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway.

Although many locals welcome Peak's exuberance, longtime observers say he is up against an entrenched leadership that has long been too cozy with developers. Some wonder whether he's prepared for the rigors of city governance.

"He'll find out very quickly with this group that's in there ... it's join us or go out by yourself," said Jefferson "Zuma Jay" Wagner, another surfer who won a council seat on a similar slow-growth pledge but did not seek re-election.

Peak swaggers into Malibu Kitchen for a late-morning coffee. Emerging in his faded black T-shirt and green sweatpants, he gives a surfer's stink eye to the Lanvin and Missoni boutiques across the Malibu Village shopping center.

"They don't belong here," he says.

Third generation

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Young surfer councilman fights waves of change in Malibu

FORT WAYNE Higher-than-expected prices could delay needed sewer connections for homes with failing septic systems.

The Fort Wayne Board of Works on Wednesday opened bids for a septic elimination project in the Parkerdale neighborhood, but the only contractor interested in the work submitted a price far above what the city expected to pay.

Ironclad Excavating submitted a contract to do the work for $756,809 more than 50 percent above the citys estimate of $467,725.

Matthew Wirtz, with City Utilities, said part of the reason for the higher estimate is that contractors are busy with numerous jobs, reducing interest in this work, which he admitted will be dirty.

One bidder is never a good sign, he said.

The project is the second phase of eliminating potentially failing systems in the area that generally lies along St. Joe Road north of Rothman Road. It was to install more than a mile of sanitary sewer pipe and provide sewer service to 38 homes. The first phase was completed in 2004 and provided service to 120 homes.

The citys septic-relief policy calls for the city to pay a set amount of a project and leave homeowners to pay for the rest. That means if a project comes in much higher than expected, such as this Parkerdale contract, residents could end up paying much more for the service than expected.

Mary Jane Slaton, utility spokeswoman, said because there was only one bid for the work that was much higher than its estimate, the city will review the project and consider its options. She said the utility will evaluate the projects components, talk with affected residents and seek ways to reduce costs while providing reliable service.

The city has not determined how much it will dedicate to this project, but its guiding policy states that $3,200 a property will be provided. Under this scenario, the city would cover $121,600 of the total Parkerdale project cost. That means the citys estimate expected residents to pay about $9,100, but the proposed price would cost homeowners $16,700.

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Bid on septic tank switch tops city estimate

Higher-than-expected prices could delay needed sewer connections for homes with failing septic systems.

The Fort Wayne Board of Works on Wednesday opened bids for a septic elimination project in the Parkerdale neighborhood, but the only contractor interested in the work submitted a price far above what the city expected to pay.

Ironclad Excavating submitted a contract to do the work for $756,809 more than 50percent above the citys estimate of $467,725.

Matthew Wirtz, with City Utilities, said part of the reason for the higher estimate is that contractors are busy with numerous jobs, reducing interest in this work, which he admitted will be dirty.

One bidder is never a good sign, he said.

The project is the second phase of eliminating potentially failing systems in the area that generally lies along St. Joe Road north of Rothman Road. It was to install more than a mile of sanitary sewer pipe and provide sewer service to 38 homes. The first phase was completed in 2004 and provided service to 120 homes.

The citys septic-relief policy calls for the city to pay a set amount of a project and leave homeowners to pay for the rest. That means if a project comes in much higher than expected, such as this Parkerdale contract, residents could end up paying much more for the service than expected.

Mary Jane Slaton, utility spokeswoman, said because there was only one bid for the work that was much higher than its estimate, the city will review the project and consider its options. She said the utility will evaluate the projects components, talk with affected residents and seek ways to reduce costs while providing reliable service.

The city has not determined how much it will dedicate to this project, but its guiding policy states that $3,200 a property will be provided. Under this scenario, the city would cover $121,600 of the total Parkerdale project cost. That means the citys estimate expected residents to pay about $9,100, but the proposed price would cost homeowners $16,700.

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Septic tank project costs higher than expected

CHICO The Chico Urban Area Nitrate Compliance project could be coming to your neighborhood if you live in north Chico.

The upcoming project is bordered by Pillsbury Road, East Avenue and Cohasset Road, but spills into Burnap, Lupin and North avenues pockets too.

New sewer pipes connecting about 770 residences and businesses to the city's sewer plant are planned, along with backhoe trenching down the streets to accommodate the pipe work.

This will be the third of a six-phase, $38 million Chico project, impacting properties on septic systems. Lassen Avenue and Chapman-Mulberry areas have been completed.

Required by the state because of nitrates in the groundwater, all septic tanks in Chico must be disabled and replaced by sewer service.

High levels of nitrates in drinking water can be a danger to infants, causing reduced oxygen supply. In adults, prolonged intake of nitrates has been linked to intestinal problems, according to the city's sewer project website.

On the up side, city sewer access can mean tapping areas monopolized by septic tanks and leach lines, the ability to install a garbage disposal, and a higher resale value, according to the county.

Because Chico is a combination of city and county jurisdictions, the two governments are working jointly on the Chico Urban Area Nitrate Compliance Program.

The city and county identified a number of nitrate "hot spots" in Chico, which now fall under the compliance program. Property owners inside

Other septic tank owners not be in the compliance will still be required to eventually connect to city sewers.

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Sewer project ready to start in north Chico

GROTON -- After a yearlong effort, members of the Lost Lake Sewer Committee are prepared to begin the final lap in their work to have a new wastewater system installed in the environmentally sensitive Lost Lake neighborhood.

At a meeting held last Monday night, member Tom Orcutt reported meeting with officials in Ayer updating them on the commission's progress.

Earlier in the year, Groton joined Ayer in an inter-municipal agreement regarding a proposed hook up between a planned sewer line for the Lost Lake area and wastewater facilities in the neighboring town.

In the meantime, the commission has continued to move forward with plans to install a sewer system at Lost Lake having submitted a final report on its feasibility to the Board of Selectmen last year.

The final report by the Sewer Committee estimated that to serve 390 potential households, it could cost as much as $10 million to install a sewer system in the Lost Lake area exclusive of a wastewater treatment plant.

Last Monday night, commission Chairman Carol Quinn estimated that if a plan including hook up with Ayer were followed, it would cost every person who owned land along the sewer line between $18,000 and $24,000 each in betterment fees paid over 20 or 30 years depending on the type of loan the town could secure.

Those numbers however, would also be conditioned upon whether the town could secure federal or state grant money for the project or if town residents agreed to cover

To find out what residents wanted to do in regard to a Lost Lake sewer system or covering part of its expense with taxes, the commission plans to send out a survey with late summer billing from the Groton Electric Light Department.

Questions on the survey are to include whether residents were aware of the Lost Lake sewer project; whether they supported the idea; and if they would support paying a portion of the project via taxes and if so, what percentage.

After the results have been received, the committee plans to hold a number of public hearings and informational sessions in the autumn prior to fall town meeting.

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Lost Lake neighbors closer to new system

MONTROSE Residents in Argyle will have a different pay structure for their sewer bills after the Regional Utility Service System board approved the change at its meeting last week.

Lee County Supervisor Ernie Schiller updated the rest of the supervisors on the situation at the boards regular meeting Tuesday at the Lee County Sheriffs Office.

The rate will probably go into effect on Sept. 1. RUSS will send information about the rate change to residents on the Argyle system.

The current system charges residents based on the amount of water used in each household. Some people were complaining about that because they have animals they water, fill swimming pools, etc. and that water was not going into the sewer system.

The new rate structure just takes the systems monthly bill and divides it equally between all households. The rates going to be about $55 a month. Some residents will see an increase and some will see a decrease.

The supervisors also tabled an agreement with RUSS on Tuesday concerning the proposed sewer system in Mooar/Powdertown north of Keokuk.

The first is the agreement says the county will use eminent domain to obtain property for the project. It isnt known if that would be necessary.

The second question was the rate structure for this project. Will it be the same as Argyles new rate system?

Schiller will discuss these issues with the RUSS board.

Supervisor Gary Fullou asked if there was ever a complete count of how many households were going to be involved in this project.

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Argyle residents to have new sewer bill structure

As a part time resident of Misquamicut, I want to share my views on the proposed sewer district for Misquamicut. I have attended a few meetings, not all, but enough to have a good idea of what is going on.

I AM COMPLETELY AGAINST PUTTING A SEWER DISTRICT IN MISQUAMICUT.

Here are my reasons:

1. This project appears to be driven by the needs of a few businesses along Atlantic Avenue and their representatives they have hired to politically push this project in Town and amongst Town Council members for their votes. I do 100% sympathize with the problem these few business owners face as a result of RI DEM rules and can understand the Town trying to help them as Misquamicut business owners. I am not anti-business AT ALL but think alternative solutions can be found without subjecting ALL the residents of the area to such a large and costly project. It is totally unfair to socialize the costs of such a large project to benefit a few property owners, however good the intentions may be.

2. The cesspools subject to replacement under the 2007 Act total approximately 40 from my research. These owners have known about this issue for close to five years and to now at the last minute push such a large project to get it approved does not seem like the right approach. This issue impacts around 6% of the residents and businesses in MFD.

3. Over 100+ new septic systems have been installed in Misquamicut since 2000 according to RI DEM records. By making this group of people pay TWICE while bailing out the cesspool owners who kept them for decades would seem to me to be rewarding the folks who waited and did nothing while punishing those of us who have invested in new technology and complied with the law.

4. The additional costs to be unilaterally imposed on homeowners who have denitrification systems or traditional septic systems is totally unjust, unfair, and is completely taxation without representation. This is a VERY significant incremental cost you are forcing on these homeowners who have completely functional, paid for, 100% operational septic systems that are in full compliance with the RI DEM mandate. In todays economy, why would you want to make people incur additional costs of annual debt service, ad valorem taxes, and sewer fees each and every year for decades to come? These costs are 100% avoidable. This is really a major issue for a lot of people. Plus, those costs are going to absolutely be increased every year. In addition, there are the one-time costs and inconvenience to rip up your yard to re-direct the plumbing from the back yard to the street and lets not forget the cost to remove your existing fully functional septic system.

5. This project is NOT about the environment of the salt ponds. Look at the RI DEM studies of the ponds in our area. They are not ranked poorly at all and are actually just one level away from the highest rating the RI DEM could give a salt pond. If this project was truly about the environment, you would need to sewer the Cove Area and Weekapaug, two areas that have not been addressed at all. Why? There are no business owners in this area. We are going to sewer one little area while letting all the other areas that abutt the pond continue to release nitrogen into the water?

6. Adding additional capacity to the current town treatment plant will only lessen its useful lifespan and, eventually, require an upgrade of the entire plant. This upgrade will call for more debt at the town level, including higher taxes, and higher ad valorem and sewer usage fees for not only the Misquamicut residents, but all residents of town.

7. Study the town of Warwick history, they have put sewers in over the past decade and have a number of sewer districts. Some were done right and have been financially successful and others are a financial disaster. Since you are imposing liens on our properties and additional incremental costs on us residents without a vote or any say in the matter, I can only hope the new sewer district is at least run correctly as not to make matters worse. What type of board will govern this entity?

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LETTER: A few anti-sewer points and one option for businesses

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City delays septic fee for a year

LISBON - The 162 property owners in St. Clair Township who failed to hook into a new sewer line will soon be getting a warning letter in the mail from the Columbiana County Health Department.

The health board voted at Wednesday's meeting to have Health Commissioner Wes Vins send the letters which threaten court action if the property owners refuse to hook into the sewer line that services the Substation and Glenmoor sections of St. Clair Township.

There are 445 properties - about 400 households and 45 businesses - located along the main sewer line and branches. Properties within 200 feet of a sanitary sewer line are required by state law to hook in since this project was ordered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The sewer line was installed by county commissioners, but the health department is responsible for enforcing the law. The project was completed about a year ago, and Vins said 162 of the properties have yet to hook in.

The warning letters, which are expected to be mailed out by week's end, give property owners 30 days to contact the health department and make arrangements to hook into the sewer line.

Board President Dr. Jack Amato expects the letter and news stories may solve most of the problem. "Hopefully, people read this and will be willing to join in rather than be forced," he said.

Property owners did not have to pay a tap fee because the county was able to obtain 62 percent federal and state grants to pay for the $9 million project. The construction loans obtained to cover the rest are to be repaid with monthly user fees charged the new customers.

The homeowners are required to pay the cost of hiring an excavator to install a connector line from their house to the sewer line, as well as the expense of filling in the abandoned septic tank. County Engineer Bert Dawson said he heard those costs have been running between $700 to $2,000, and Vins said the letter will advise property owners of possible government funding sources to help them pay the expense.

The law will be enforced through the monthly sewer bill property owners are to receive, regardless of whether they are hooked in or not. If they fail to pay the bill, the Buckeye Water District will be instructed to shut off water service to the property, and the sewer bill will go on the property taxes.

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Property owners to get warning letter

Members of the Boone Lake Association and officials with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation got an up-close look Wednesday at Johnson Citys Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and three new sewer pump stations constructed to provide great capacity to the citys sewer system.

Around this time a year ago, the city held a dedication ceremony for the Johnson City Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was also part of Wednesdays tour. At the same time that project was under way, the city worked to replace and expand three key sewer pumping stations two along Cedar Point Road in the Carroll Creek community and the other on Honaker Court in Gray and install approximately 31,000 feet of sewer line. The stations, which were a half-decade in the making and went online in May, serve the areas of Carroll Creek, Boones Creek and Snyder Creek.

The significance of these stations is that as you have the need for sewer service in the Carroll Creek drainage basin or the Boones Creek drainage basin or other drainage basins north of Johnson City, this will provide future capacity to allow additional sewage flows to be taken to the regional plant, said Tom Witherspoon, Johnson City director of Water and Sewer Services. It will also minimize the number of customers that will have to have septic tanks, which is a concern as far as the water quality in Boone Lake.

Witherspoon said planning on a project involving the pumping stations and sewer lines began about the same time construction started on the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2007. He said the existing pumping stations, which were constructed in the late 1970s, were in need of replacement.

With a lot of mechanical equipment and with capacity, we had gotten about as much use out of those stations as what they were designed for, Witherspoon said. The city upgraded the equipment at the stations, and also added capacity over the existing stations. Each station also has equipment that will send signals to the regional plant, providing information on how each of the pumps are functioning and what flow rates are. The regional plant will also be alerted if there are any issues at the stations, so personnel can quickly address the issue before sewage goes out into the lake, Witherspoon said.

Each pumping station was also constructed with a dedicated standby generator. In the event of a power loss, these generators will allow each station to continue to function and pump wastewater.

Thats good for us, and thats a good thing for the lake, Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon said replacing the stations presented a challenge, as the existing stations needed to remain operational during construction. Construction of the new stations and the sewer line work, which Witherspoon said was publicly funded, cost around $10 million and was completed in two separate contracts.

This is part of our water/sewer capital plan, and it took about five years to deliver this, Witherspoon said.

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New Johnson City wastewater pump station toured by officials