The Event Faced Potential Cancellation Due to Permitting Issues With a Flooded Underpass
The Malibu Triathlon is set to proceed as scheduled this weekend, following the final approval granted by the City Council, Patch reported. The event had faced potential cancellation due to permitting issues related to a flooded underpass and the presence of an endangered fish species.
In an early Tuesday morning vote, the City Council voted 4-0 to issue the permit for the event, which is slated for September 30 to October 1. Earlier in the month, the organizers’ permit application had been denied by city staff, and their subsequent appeal of the permit rejection was also turned down by the Planning Commission.
The traditional racecourse for the event typically includes the Busch Drive undercrossing at Zuma Beach, which was inundated due to heavy rainfall last winter. Organizers had previously constructed temporary ramps to navigate the water accumulation in past years. However, this year, such constructions were disallowed due to the presence of the tidewater goby, a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, which had established a habitat in the flooded underpass, according to Patch.
Organizers subsequently adjusted the race route, but city officials determined that the revised application was submitted too late to comply with the mandatory 32-day public notice requirement.
