No Permit Violations During Lagoon Project, Coastal Commission Says

The California Coastal Commission denied accusations that bulldozing and other work at the Malibu Lagoon is illegal in a letter to two environmental groups last week.

The Wetlands Defense Fund, led by activist Marcia Hanscom, and the Coastal Law Enforcement Action Network, led by Roy van de Hoek, filed a request earlier this month for the revocation of a Coastal Development Permit that gave the green light for the start of the Malibu Lagoon Restoration & Enhancement Project.

The groups also alleged the contractor, Ford E.C. Inc., proceeded with work while the project's dewatering permit was still in draft form. Dewatering is a term that describes the process of removing water from the Malibu Lagoon.

In a second letter, the groups outlined several permit violations.

Patrick Veesart, an enforcement supervisor with the coastal commission, wrote in a response letter dated June 22 that he went to the site and did not find any permit violations.

"It appears that every effort is being made by the applicant to comply with the terms and conditions of the permit," Veesart wrote.

The letter did not address the groups' request for a revocation of the permit. Under state law, a permit can only be revoked if the application for the permit included inaccurate, erroneous or incomplete information.

Hanscom said violations continue to be documented at the project, and there are plans to reply to Veesart's letter.

A final version of the dewatering plan has already been completed and released to the public. The public will have as many as 10 days to provide comment on the plan before the dewatering process begins, according to previous statements from California State Parks officials.