Water Quality Control Board mandate has Los Angeles County cities, La
Canada Flintridge included, at boiling point.
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- La Canada Flintridge City Councilman Dave
Spence said the measures mandated in the push for regional storm water
purity are aggressive -- and ridiculous.
The Regional Water Quality Control Board is requiring Los Angeles
County cities to purify storm drain water. The mandates are the result
of a lawsuit against the board by environmental groups.
The environmental groups think cities aren't doing enough to keep
streams and bays clean, according to Spence. The standards, which are
scheduled to take effect Feb. 13, strictly prohibit non-storm water
discharges like garbage, grease and metals, into county storm water
drains. While providing no funding, the board is requiring cities to
enforce cleanup.
If implemented, the mandate for storm water purity will tax the
resources of the city and of business owners, Spence said. Right now,
it's not possible to predict how much it will cost, he said.
The most onerous part of the requirements is what's passed on to
individual businesses, Spence said. The rainwater, or any water, that
runs through the Vons or Sport Chalet parking lot will need to be
treated and filtered as if it's going to the L.A. County Sanitation
District, Spence said. It will need to be "purer than the water
that comes off the hose in your house," Spence said.
Not all the requirements to ensure storm water purity are ridiculous,
Spence said, just about 70% of them.
"I'm all for environmental awareness," Spence said,
"but I think there are some limits that need to be looked
at."
In a Jan. 22 presentation to the City Council, City Engineer Elroy
Kiepke said it will be nearly impossible to comply with the
restrictions.
"Any day you see water running in the gutter, and it's not
raining, there's a chance of a violation," Kiepke said.
At the Jan. 22 meeting, the council voted 5-0 to join a coalition of
cities petitioning against the Regional Water Quality Control Board's
mandate. Spence said the petition would mean the requirements wouldn't
need to be enforced immediately.
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January 30, 2002 - Foothill Leader
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE
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