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(Added by Ord. No. 172,176, Eff. 10/1/98.)
A. General Discharge Prohibitions. No person shall discharge, cause, permit, or contribute to the discharge of any of the following to the storm drain system or receiving waters:
1. Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quantity are flammable, reactive, explosive, corrosive, or radioactive, or by interaction with other materials could result in fire, explosion or injury.
2. Any solid or viscous materials which could cause obstruction to the flow or operation of the storm drain system.
3. Any pollutant that injures or constitutes a hazard to human, animal, plant, or fish life, or creates a public nuisance.
4. Any noxious or malodorous liquid, gas, or solid in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other materials, which creates a public nuisance, hazard to life, or inhibits authorized entry of any person into the storm drain system.
5. Any hazardous substance, including, but without limitation, medical waste, infectious waste and toxic materials. (Amended by Ord. No. 183,833, Eff. 10/3/15.)
B. Controlling the Discharge of Pollutants Associated with Industrial or Commercial Activities. Except as allowed under a general or separate NPDES permit, the following prohibitions apply to all persons operating or performing any industrial or commercial activities within the City of Los Angeles:
1. No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of untreated wastewater from steam cleaning, mobile carpet cleaning, or from other such mobile commercial or industrial operations into the storm drain system.
2. No person shall discharge, cause or permit any discharge of untreated runoff containing grease, oil, antifreeze, other fluids from machinery, equipment, tools or motor vehicles, or hazardous substances into the storm drain system.
3. No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of untreated runoff from the washing of toxic materials from paved or unpaved areas into the storm drain system.
4. No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of wastewater from the washing out of concrete trucks into the storm drain system.
5. Violation of any of the following prohibitions within this subdivision shall be punishable as an infraction. (Amended by Ord. No. 186,366, Eff. 10/31/19.)
(a) No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of untreated wash water from gas stations, auto repair garages, or from other types of automotive facilities into the storm drain system.
(b) No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of untreated runoff from the washing of impervious surfaces into the storm drain system. This provision shall apply unless the washing is specifically required by State or local health and safety codes or unless the discharge is conditionally exempt as street or sidewalk washing as provided in Subdivision 2, Subsection A of Section 64.70.03 of this article.
(c) No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of food wastes from the washing of any floor coverings such as duck boards, grates, mats or rugs from any commercial kitchen, or from any other commercial food preparation or processing activity, into the storm drain system.
(d) No person shall discharge, cause or permit the discharge of commercial/public swimming pool filter backwash into the storm drain system.
C. Controlling Spills, Dumping or Disposal of Materials to the Storm Drain System. This subsection applies to all persons within the City of Los Angeles and is in addition to any other anti-littering provisions provided in this Code, including, without limitation, Sections 56.08, 57.21.06, 62.54, 66.04 and 66.25. (Amended by Ord. No. 183,833, Eff. 10/3/15.)
1. The following prohibitions apply to all persons within the City of Los Angeles and any violation of this subdivision shall be punishable as a misdemeanor:
(a) No person shall throw, deposit, leave, cause or permit to be thrown, deposited, placed, or left, any refuse, rubbish, garbage, or other discarded or abandoned objects, articles, and accumulations, in or upon any street, gutter, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, conduit or other drainage structures, business place, or upon any public or private lot of land in the City so that such materials, when exposed to stormwater or any runoff, become a pollutant in the storm drain system.
(b) No person shall intentionally dispose or cause the disposal of leaves, dirt, or other landscape debris into the storm drain system.
(c) No person shall spill, dump or dispose any pesticide, fungicide, or herbicide, into the storm drain system.
(d) No person shall leave, dispose, cause or permit the disposal of a hazardous substance in a manner that results or potentially could result in a spill, leak or drainage of such onto any sidewalk, street or gutter that discharges into or flows with any other runoff into the storm drain system. (Amended by Ord. No. 183,833, Eff. 10/3/15.)
(e) No person shall store fuels, chemicals, fuel or chemical wastes, animal wastes, garbage, batteries and any toxic materials in a manner that causes or potentially could cause the runoff of pollutants from these materials or wastes into the storm drain system. (Amended by Ord. No. 183,833, Eff. 10/3/15.)
(f) No person shall dispose, discharge, or permit the discharge of any sanitary or septage wastes from any source into the storm drain system.
D. Requirement to Prevent, Control, and Reduce Stormwater Pollutants. Any owner or operator of a facility or business within the City of Los Angeles engaged in activities or operations as listed in the Critical Sources Categories, Section III of the Board’s Rules and Regulations shall be required to implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) as promulgated in the Rules and Regulations. Any owner/developer of a property under construction within the City of Los Angeles or their designated representative shall be required to implement the stormwater pollution control requirements for construction activities as depicted in the project plans approved by the Department of Building and Safety. In the event a specified BMP proves to be ineffective or infeasible, the Director may require additional and/or alternative, site-specific BMPs or conditions deemed appropriate to achieve the objectives of this ordinance as defined in Subsection B of LAMC Section 64.70. Any violation or failure to implement a BMP in a timely manner shall be punishable as an infraction, unless the violation or failure is declared in this Code to be a misdemeanor. (Added by Ord. No. 175,026, Eff. 2/2/03.)
E. Controlling Pollutants From Parking Lots. Any owner or operator of industrial/commercial motor vehicle parking lots with more than twenty-five (25) parking spaces that are located in areas potentially exposed to storm water shall be required through regular sweeping or other effective measures to remove all debris during the period between October 1 and April 15. Violation of this subsection shall be punishable as an infraction. (Former Subsection D. re-designated Subsection E. by Ord. No. 175,026, Eff. 2/2/03.)
(Added by Ord. No. 172,176, Eff. 10/1/98.)
A. Prohibition of Non-Stormwater Discharges. (Amended by Ord. No. 183,833, Eff. 10/3/15.) No person shall discharge non-storm water to the storm drain system, unless authorized by a separate or general NPDES Permit, or if the discharge is exempted or conditionally exempted by the NPDES Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit (MS4) for Los Angeles County, as provided or as subsequently amended, or if granted as a special waiver or exemption by the Regional Board.
1. Exempt Discharges. The NPDES Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit (MS4) for Los Angeles County provides for the following non- stormwater discharges to be discharged into the storm drain system:
(a) Discharges separately regulated by an individual or general NPDES permit;
(b) Temporary discharges authorized by the USEPA;
(c) Discharges from emergency fire fighting activities; or
(d) Natural flows, including:
i. Natural springs;
ii. Flows from riparian habitats or wetlands;
iii. Diverted stream flows;
iv. Uncontaminated ground water infiltration; or
v. Rising ground waters.
2. Conditionally Exempt Discharges. The following non-stormwater discharges may be allowed to be discharged into the storm drain system, subject to all appropriate BMPs. The Board may review and adopt appropriate BMPs for any conditionally exempt discharges and place said BMPs in the Board’s “Rules and Regulations Governing the Discharge of Conditionally Exempt Non-Stormwater Discharges.” The Board may from time to time, as it deems appropriate, change, modify, revise or alter existing BMPs. It shall be the responsibility of any discharger to comply with all Board adopted BMPs in existence at the time of discharge of any non-stormwater discharge set forth on this Conditionally Exempt Discharge list. If the Board has not adopted BMPs for any of the below listed discharges, the discharger may allow such a discharge provided it is in compliance with all other requirements of the “Stormwater and Urban Runoff Pollution Control Ordinance.” Discharge of any of the below listed “Conditionally Exempt Discharges” at a time prior to the Board’s adoption of BMPs for that particular discharge shall not relieve the discharger from compliance with the BMPs for the discharge once they are adopted by the Board. The “Conditionally Exempt Discharges” are as follows:
(a) Discharges from essential non- emergency fire fighting activities;
(b) Discharges from drinking water supplier distribution systems;
(c) Dewatering of lakes and decorative foundations;
(d) Landscape irrigation;
(e) Dechlorinated / debrominated swimming pool/spa discharges;
(f) Non commercial car washing by residents or by non-profit organizations;
(g) Street/sidewalk wash water;
(h) Water from crawl space or basement pumps;
(i) Hillside dewatering;
(j) Naturally occurring groundwater seepage via a MS4;
(k) Non-anthropogenic flows from a naturally occurring stream via a culvert or the MS4; and
(l) Other categories approved by the Executive Officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region.
B. Illicit Connections. It is prohibited to establish, use, maintain, or continue illicit drainage connections to the City storm drain system, and to commence or continue any illicit discharges to the City storm drain system. This prohibition applies to connections made in the past. Improperly installed or defective rain diversion systems or devices that release pollutants into the storm drain system shall be considered illicit connections and shall be subject to removal or modifications. One year after the effective date of this article and after notification of the illicit connection, a person has ninety (90) days to remove or modify such connection. Any extension of time for removal or modification must be approved by the Board.
C. Storm Drain Connection Permits. No permit for any storm drain connection as required under Section 64.12 of this Code, shall be issued until the Board is satisfied that the discharge from the permitted connection will be in compliance with the provisions of this article and all applicable Federal and State discharge regulations or requirements.
D. Discharges Permitted By Industrial Wastewater Permits. Industrial Wastewater Permits issued for discharges of non-stormwater to the storm drain system, Waters of the State, and industrial waste discharges to points other than to the City’s Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW), that were previously permitted under Section 64.30 of this Code, shall be canceled by the Director. No Industrial Wastewater Permit will be required for discharges to any point other than to the POTW.
E. Reporting of Accidental Discharge to the Storm Drain System. (Added by Ord. No. 183,833, Eff. 10/3/15.) The Property owner, administrator, successors or other persons shall notify the Director of any accidental discharge to the City’s Stormdrain system as soon as any person who is either in charge of a facility or responsible for the emergency response for a facility has knowledge of any release of material, pollutants or waste which may result in pollutants or non-stormwater discharges entering the City Stormdrain system. Such person shall also take all necessary steps to ensure the full discovery, containment and clean-up of such release. A notice advising employees of the requirements of this provision and the telephone number to call to notify the Director of such release shall be permanently posted in a conspicuous place on the premises of each commercial or industrial establishment.
(Added by Ord. No. 172,176, Eff. 10/1/98.)
A. Authority to Inspect. Whenever it is necessary to investigate the source of any discharge to any public street, inlet, gutter, or storm drainage system within the City of Los Angeles, to verify compliance with this article, or to enforce any of its provisions, or perform any duty imposed by this article or other applicable law, the Director is hereby authorized to enter such private property at any reasonable time and perform such inspection or investigation. Prior to performing any authorized inspections, entry to private property shall be obtained as follows:
1. If such building or premises is occupied, the Director shall first present proper credentials of identification and obtain either the consent of the owner or occupant of the private property or shall obtain an administrative warrant or criminal search warrant; or
2. If such building or premises is unoccupied, the Director shall first make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other persons having charge or control of the building or premises and request entry, explaining the reasons therefor. If such entry is refused or cannot be obtained because the owner or other person having charge or control of the building or premises cannot be found, the Director shall have recourse to every remedy provided by law to secure entry and inspect the building or premises.
3. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Director has reasonable belief that the discharges emanating from the premises are so hazardous, unsafe or dangerous as to require immediate inspection or remedial actions to abate conditions that endanger the public health or safety, the Director shall have the right to immediately enter the premises. Any reasonable means may be used to effect such entry to make the necessary inspection or abate the dangerous condition, whether the property is occupied or unoccupied and whether or not formal permission to inspect has been obtained. If the property is occupied, the Director shall first present proper credentials of identification to the occupant and demand entry, explaining the reasons therefor and the purpose of the inspection.
(a) In accordance with this subdivision, no person shall refuse, resist, restrict, delay, or interfere with the Director in the performance of the Director’s duties.
B. Inspection Duties. Upon securing entry onto private property, the Director shall be allowed to perform the following duties during an inspection:
1. To inspect, take samples of any area runoff, process discharge or materials within any exposed waste storage area and perform tests for the purpose of determining the potential for the contribution of pollutants to the storm drain system;
2. To place on the property of the inspected facility or site any such devices as are necessary to sample, monitor, measure and record flows of discharge or threatened discharge;
3. To inspect, examine and copy all records of the owner or occupant of inspected property that pertains to any discharge to the storm drain system, including records relating to chemicals or processes presently or previously occurring on the site, NPDES permit, Notice of Intent to comply with a General NPDES permit, waste discharge records, waste manifests, Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans, monitoring plans, test results, any records or plans relating to discharge connections to the storm drain system and any other information required to carry out the provisions of this article;
4. To inspect and enforce the sufficient implementation of applicable Best Management Practices by the business establishment, property owner and/or developer; (Added by Ord. No. 175,026, Eff. 2/2/03.)
5. To photograph any materials, storage or process areas, wastes, waste containers, vehicles, connections, Best Management Practices, treatment systems, discharge location(s), or any violation(s) discovered during the inspection; and (Former Subdivision B.4. re-designated Subdivision B.5. by Ord. No. 175,026, Eff. 2/2/03.)
6. To abate, correct or prevent pollutants from entering the storm drain system or surface waters. (Former Subdivision B.5. re-designated Subdivision B.6. by Ord. No. 175,026, Eff. 2/2/03.)
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