New Pollutants Control Regulations
Urban runoff water contributes to the pollution found at local beaches and waterways. Excessive fertilizer, pesticide, automobile fluids, trash, and animal waste are carried by storm drains following rains or through dry season runoff to local beaches. To address this issue and comply with federal and state clean water legislation, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued new rules regulating what can be discharged into storm drains. The new rules require a noticeable change in lifestyle.
Here are some suggestions to help minimize your impact on water pollution:
- Pick up pet waste on a regular basis. Never wash pet waste out into the street or into the storm drain.
- Closely follow manufacturer instructions when applying fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicide. Do not apply material onto sidewalks, curbs, streets, and other non-porous surfaces.
- Whenever possible, use a rake or broom to clean the yard, driveway and gutters. Use leaf blowers responsibly and never blow debris into the gutter and storm drains.
- Don’t use the hose to clean walkways, driveways, and gutters; this transports debris to the ocean and the beach. Use a broom and dustpan to dispose the material in the trash container. Minimize the use of leaf blowers as these only redistribute waste material to other areas that can reach the storm drain system.
- Promptly fix vehicles that leak fluid. Place absorbent material such as cat litter box material on any drips to clean up spills and dispose of in the trash.
- Whenever possible, wash vehicles at car washes that have water reclamation systems. Reclamation systems capture the polluted water for processing and prevent it from entering the storm drains. The systems also help conserve water.
- Don’t litter; always dispose of trash inside of trash containers.
- Never pour any hazardous waste down the gutter, storm drain or onto the ground; this causes considerable pollution, is against the law, and can result in significant penalties. You can legally dispose of your household hazardous waste at 17121 Nichols Street in Huntington Beach. The facility is open Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For additional information of how to dispose of household hazardous waste, call (714) 834-6752.
To report suspected violations of water pollution regulations, promptly contact the City’s water pollution prevention hotline at (714) 593-4441. Failure to comply with water pollution regulations can result in significant penalties.
For additional information call the Public Works Department at (714) 593-4441. Your assistance is appreciated in ensuring that Fountain Valley stays within clean water regulations and does our part to prevent beach pollution.