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The City of Laguna Beach owns and operates a municipal storm drain system. This system includes all streets, curb gutters, inlet structures, ditches, pipes and any other structures which convey storm water to the ocean or streams. Because this storm drain system discharges water to the ocean and streams, it is regulated under the Federal Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act requires that the City get a permit to discharge water from the storm system. The permit is issued by the State of California through the Region 9 Water Quality Control Board. The permit specifies that the City cannot discharge pollutants from its storm drain system to the ocean or streams.
Because the City is regulated by the stormwater permit, municipal codes strictly prohibit anyone from discharging pollutants into the storm drain system. When a person washes a car or hoses down a driveway, and the washwater enters the street, pollutants may be introduced into the storm drain system. Pollutants include soap (including Simple Green), leaves, mud, dirt, and dust. The act of washing dirt from a driveway or walkway into the street introduces pollutants (the dirt) into the storm system (the street).
The City's storm drain system is designed to convey rain water in a safe manner to a discharge point to prevent flooding and property damage - it is not designed to be a dump for washwater and wastewater from cleaning operations.
Since most of the storm drains within Laguna Beach discharge directly to the ocean, any wash waters put into the drains directly impact the marine environment. It is up to each individual to decide that there is an alternative to hosing dirt into the street - together, a community can protect the tidepools and beaches for all to enjoy.
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| Water Quality Ordinance |
Title 16 of the City of Laguna Beach's municipal code gives representatives of the City authorization to enforce water quality laws as dictated by the requirements of the NPDES Permit. The section of the permit relevant to allowed/disallowed discharges reads as follows:
B. NON-STORM WATER DISCHARGES (highlights by the City of Laguna Beach)
1. Each Copermittee (The City of Laguna Beach) must effectively prohibit all types of non-storm water discharges
into its MS4 unless such discharges are either authorized by a separate National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit; or not prohibited in
accordance with sections B.2 and B.3 below.
2. The following categories of non-storm water discharges are not prohibited unless a
Copermittee or the Regional Board identifies the discharge category as a significant
source of pollutants** to waters of the U.S. For such a discharge category, the
Copermittee must either prohibit the discharge category or develop and implement
appropriate control measures to reduce the discharge of pollutants to the MEP and
report to the Regional Board pursuant to Section H.1 and H.3 of this Order.
**Soaps and washwaters are identified as pollutants
a. Diverted stream flows;
b. Rising ground waters;
c. Uncontaminated ground water infiltration [as defined at 40 CFR 35.2005(20)] to
MS4s;
d. Uncontaminated pumped ground water;
e. Foundation drains;
f. Springs;
g. Water from crawl space pumps;
h. Footing drains;
i. Air conditioning condensation;
j. Flows from riparian habitats and wetlands;
k. Water line flushing;
l. Landscape irrigation;
m. Discharges from potable water sources not subject to NPDES Permit No.
CAG679001, other than water main breaks;
n. Irrigation water;
o. Lawn watering;
p. Individual residential car washing; and
q. Dechlorinated swimming pool discharges. |
3. Emergency fire fighting flows (i.e., flows necessary for the protection of life or
property) do not require BMPs and need not be prohibited. As part of the
Jurisdictional Urban Runoff Management Plan (JURMP), each Copermittee must
develop and implement a program to reduce pollutants from non-emergency fire
fighting flows (i.e., flows from controlled or practice blazes and maintenance
activities) identified by the Copermittee to be significant sources of pollutants to
waters of the United States.
4. Each Copermittee must examine all dry weather field screening and analytical
monitoring results collected in accordance with section D.4 of this Order and
Receiving Waters Monitoring and Reporting Program No. R9-2007-0002 to identify
water quality problems which may be the result of any non-prohibited discharge
category(ies) identified above in section B.2. Follow-up investigations must be
conducted as necessary to identify and control any non-prohibited discharge
category(ies) listed above.
C. LEGAL AUTHORITY
1. Each Copermittee must establish, maintain, and enforce adequate legal authority to
control pollutant discharges into and from its MS4 through ordinance, statute, permit,
contract or similar means. This legal authority must, at a minimum, authorize the
Copermittee to:
a. Control the contribution of pollutants in discharges of runoff associated with
industrial and construction activity to its MS4 and control the quality of runoff from
industrial and construction sites. This requirement applies both to industrial and
construction sites which have coverage under the statewide general industrial or
construction storm water permits, as well as to those sites which do not. Grading
ordinances must be upgraded and enforced as necessary to comply with this
Order.
b. Prohibit all identified illicit discharges not otherwise allowed pursuant to section
B.2 including but not limited to:
(1) Sewage;
(2) Discharges of wash water resulting from the hosing or cleaning of gas
stations, auto repair garages, or other types of automotive services facilities;
(3) Discharges resulting from the cleaning, repair, or maintenance of any type of
equipment, machinery, or facility including motor vehicles, cement-related
equipment, and port-a-potty servicing, etc.;
(4) Discharges of wash water from mobile operations such as mobile automobile
washing, steam cleaning, power washing, and carpet cleaning, etc.;
(5) Discharges of wash water from the cleaning or hosing of impervious surfaces
in municipal, industrial, commercial, and residential areas including parking
lots, streets, sidewalks, driveways, patios, plazas, work yards and outdoor
eating or drinking areas, etc.;
(6) Discharges of runoff from material storage areas containing chemicals, fuels,
grease, oil, or other hazardous materials;
(7) Discharges of pool or fountain water containing chlorine, biocides, toxic
amounts of salt, or other chemicals; discharges of pool or fountain filter
backwash water;
(8) Discharges of sediment, pet waste, vegetation clippings, or other landscape
or construction-related wastes; and
(9) Discharges of food-related wastes (e.g., grease, fish processing, and
restaurant kitchen mat and trash bin wash water, etc.). |
c. Prohibit and eliminate illicit connections to the MS4;
d. Control the discharge of spills, dumping, or disposal of materials other than storm
water to its MS4;
e. Require compliance with conditions in Copermittee ordinances, permits,
contracts or orders (i.e., hold dischargers to its MS4 accountable for their
contributions of pollutants and flows);
f. Utilize enforcement mechanisms to require compliance with Copermittee storm
water ordinances, permits, contracts, or orders;
g. Control the contribution of pollutants from one portion of the shared MS4 to
another portion of the MS4 through interagency agreements among
Copermittees. Control of the contribution of pollutants from one portion of the
shared MS4 to another portion of the MS4 through interagency agreements with
other owners of the MS4 such as Caltrans, the Department of Defense, or Native
American Tribes is encouraged;
h. Carry out all inspections, surveillance, and monitoring necessary to determine
compliance and noncompliance with local ordinances and permits and with this
Order, including the prohibition on illicit discharges to the MS4. This means the
Copermittee must have authority to enter, monitor, inspect, take measurements,
review and copy records, and require regular reports from industrial facilities
discharging into its MS4, including construction sites;
i. Require the use of BMPs to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants into
MS4s to the MEP; and
j. Require documentation on the effectiveness of BMPs implemented to reduce the
discharge of pollutants to the MS4 to the MEP. |
If you received a citation for a water quality violation, you may either comply or contest the violation. Read the back of the citation for instructions or consult 16.01.090 for complete details. If you still have questions, call 949-497-0378 weekdays 8-5. |
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