Sewer line being explored as residents work to rebuild Malibu beachfront homes after Palisades Fire

MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) -- In a historic decision, the City of Malibu and people along Pacific Coast Highway are considering switching from septic tanks to sewer lines as they rebuild after the Palisades Fire.

Some of the most difficult homes to rebuild are the over 300 beachfront properties destroyed along PCH in Malibu.

It's one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Los Angeles County, and some of the infrastructure is outdated, including Tina Segel's septic tank, which is over 100 years old.

"We have to redo the system because it's damaged from the fire, as are most of the septic systems here," Segel said. "The removal process is very specific because it is toxic. You have to have specialists come in to remove it or cap it off, which is what happened with ours. It's probably going to be a couple hundred thousand dollars at least."

"What the city needs to do is to make sure we take steps to make it possible for those homeowners to make that decision to rebuild their homes," said Marianne Riggins, the Mayor of Malibu. "They're a part of our community. They have lived here for generations."

That's why, for the first time in its history, the City of Malibu is looking at installing a sewer system to serve residents along PCH. The most affordable option presented so far would connect over five miles of new pipeline to the point where L.A.'s sewer system ends near the Getty Villa. The sewage from Malibu would then make its way to the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa Del Rey.

"If it can save our homeowners reconstruction costs -- because so many people were underinsured or don't have the funds to be able to rebuild. If we can save them a couple hundred thousand dollars, that's a big difference," Riggins said.

"We can put in a sewer system. It will be much easier. We can just flush instead of having to pump," Segel said.

"There's probably a 12-month period for planning, and probably about eight months of getting all the permits, and construction may take five to seven years," said Tatiana Holden, the Assistant Public Works Director for the City of Malibu.

Other options the city is looking at include connecting to a much smaller treatment plan in Malibu, building a new one, connecting to the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, or replacing the septic systems at beachside homes.

If a sewer system is built, the city is looking at temporary systems so residents can rebuild now and not have to wait until the sewer is finished.

"I think there's a lot of opportunity because of the fires," Segel said. "We have systems that were put into place a hundred years ago, and now we have to look to the future, to the next hundred years."

Connecting to the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant would cost roughly $124 million. The hope is that it would be paid for through the city, state, and grants.