Topic: Stormwater

Overview

Stormwater

Stormwater runoff has emerged as a primary water quality issue. In urban areas, after long dry periods rainwater runoff can contain accumulations of pollutants. Stormwater does not go into the sewer. Instead, pollutants can be flushed into waterways with detrimental effects on the environment and water quality.

In response, water quality regulators use a range of programs to reduce stormwater pollution including limiting the amount of excess runoff and in some cases recapturing freshwater as well.

Typical stormwater runoff pollutants include:

  • Fertilizer
  • Pesticides/Herbicides
  • Heavy Metals
  • Oil and grease
  • Bacteria/viruses
  • Sediment
  • Construction Waste
  • Trash
Aquafornia news Lost Coast Outpost (Humboldt, Calif.)

New study shows coho-killing toxin pools in Humboldt County parking lots before draining into the Bay

A few years ago, scientists started identifying a potentially major culprit in the dramatic decline of the coho salmon fishery — a chemical known as “6PPD-quinone,” a byproduct of a chemical used in automotive tires. Throughout the course of their life, tires deposit the precursor of this chemical everywhere they travel. This precursor degrades into 6PPD-q and enters the water system, killing coho in particular — a protected species under the Endangered Species Act — with great efficiency. Now, a new study from Humboldt Waterkeeper, conducted in Eureka and Arcata throughout the last few months, shows that you don’t need a huge, dense car population to generate potentially lethal concentrations of 6PPD-q — regular old parking lots seem to do it just fine. … The study comes at a time when the California Assembly is considering legislation — Assembly Bill 1313 — that would require owners of large parking lots to acquire stormwater discharge permits and mitigate their runoff. 

Aquafornia news MyNewsLA

Port of LA pollution lawsuit tentatively settled

The Port of Los Angeles must significantly improve its management of stormwater and groundwater to ensure that toxic pollutants stay out of the harbor, according to Wednesday’s tentative settlement of a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The lawsuit brought by Los Angeles-based Environment California in July 2024 alleged that there have been more than 2,000 illegal discharges of pollution in the previous five years at the port. That pollution stems from bacteria-laden stormwater and contaminated groundwater that accumulates in a 53-acre area of the port and is discharged into the harbor, the suit alleges.

Related article:

Aquafornia news Stormwater Solutions

Video: What does Assembly Bill 1313 mean for California?

Ben Harris, senior staff attorney with the LA Waterkeeper, discusses Assembly Bill 1313, which was introduced by assembly member Diane Papan on March 25. The bill would enact a statewide commercial stormwater permit in California that will balance the cost of stormwater management between private facilities and local governments while encouraging stormwater capture through the development of more green space in urban communities.  Harris expands on the purpose of the bill, why LA Waterkeeper sees it as necesssary and other details.