Santa Monica is pushing for stricter storm runoff rules even though many nearby cities oppose them.
Regional water quality officials last week approved the restrictive rules even though dozens of cities within Los Angeles County are fighting the plan, which is intended to better regulate how storm water is collected and where it goes. Officials from the opposing cities say the plans are too costly. The entire plan is expected to cost all 90 cities involved about $50 billion.
But Santa Monica is ready to pay whatever it takes to keep its coastline as clean as it can, said Craig Perkins, the city’s director of the environmental and public works department. He added that a regional approach and a more aggressive plan to combat water pollution has support here.
“One of the problems that other cities confront is that the storm water costs are taken out of the general fund and is an operational expense,” Perkins said. “Santa Monica has a self supporting fund for storm water management.”
About six years ago Santa Monica placed a general fee on property owners — around $26 for single-family home — to pay for storm water management. It generates about $1.25 million annually, but the city of Santa Monica spends much more than that each year through other funding sources like developer fees and government grants.
“Trying to protect Santa Monica Bay from periodic storm water surges is best done at the source, where rainwater runoff first enters the system,” said Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, adding the council officially supported the regional water quality board’s plan earlier this year. “Santa Monica has pioneered efficient on-site catch basins that hold rain temporarily and convert it back to groundwater instead of sending it into the storm drains. This converts our overpaved Los Angeles basin from a floodmaker back into a true watershed.”
The rules, unanimously approved by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, are in the form of a five-year permit to Los Angeles County and all of the cities within it, except Long Beach.
The permits track illegal discharges into storm drains, inspect businesses and install tougher storm water rules. Water quality control board members say the permit is necessary to toughen rules that have been ineffective because of lax enforcement. More than 35 of the nearly 90 cities in Los Angeles County oppose the rules, saying they involve too much regulatory burden.
“Everybody uses the beach... that’s where L.A. goes to escape the pressures of the region,” said Mark Gold, executive director of Heal the Bay, an environmental group.
The move will require cities to inspect many industrial and commercial facilities for storm water violations, develop cleanup plans and catch hookups which drain illegally into storm water systems.
“No doubt, urban runoff is the greatest threat to Southern California waters,” said Board Chairman David Nahai. “This is a decisive step in the right direction for dealing with the problem.”
Environmentalists said the measures are needed to clean up Southern California beaches and streams and protect wildlife, tourism and residents’ enjoyment of the coast.
“All of the cities are going to have to raise their standards,” Perkins said.
However, the opposing cities will appeal the new rules to the State Water Quality Control Board.
“The cities support the permit, but they don’t have $50 billion,” said Rufus C. Young, Jr., an attorney representing 10 of the cities.
Wendy Phillips, acting assistant executive officer of the board, said the cities were overstating the cost. Board staff said the changes would typically add 1-2 percent to the cost of construction.
Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 21, 2001. Read the original PDF.