By DAILY PRESS STAFF
A federal court has ruled that Caltrans must begin filtering runoff from 1,000 miles of highways in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, potentially keeping more than six million pounds of toxic pollution out of area waters each year.
The project is slated to be completed by 2011. The plaintiffs in the suit, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Santa Monica Baykeeper, applaud the decision that would potentially stop millions of gallons of pollution from reaching Southern California waters and off of the region’s beaches.
“Highways are the backbone of Southern California’s economy, but they are also a major source of toxic pollution in our waterways,” said David Beckman, director of NRDC’s Coastal Water Quality Project and lead attorney for the plaintiffs.
“Every rainstorm sends a toxic soup of oil, grease, lead and other dangerous ingredients that accumulate on our roads, rushing into Santa Monica Bay,” Beckman said. “This agreement means cleaner water and safer beaches for everyone in the region.”
Caltrans will start cleaning up the runoff using a variety of methods to capture pollution long before it reaches the ocean. Cleanup options include sand traps, catch basins and new porous pavement that catch polluted runoff and absorb the contaminants.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 24, 2008. Read the original PDF.