After a unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District has filed a lawsuit against the State of California Water Resources Control Board to improve water quality and keep beaches across the County clean and safe.
Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said the lawsuit was necessary in an effort to force the State of California to hear scientific evidence that proves methods adopted by the State to determine bacteria levels at Santa Monica Bay are unreliable.
Public health and water quality remain a top priority of the County, said Supervisor Knabe. We support water standards that protect public health and safety and we want to ensure the State is using the best scientific standards possible in addressing water quality.
The County is committed to working with local cities to develop and implement state-of-the-art, cost-effective solutions for reducing pollutants in stormwater and keeping our beaches clean and safe, Supervisor Knabe added.
Since 2004, the County and cities together have spent more than $200 million a year to improve and protect water quality at local beaches. However, for more than 18 months, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has failed to respond to repeated requests to address new scientific evidence County officials believe should be considered before making huge investments of public funds.
We are perplexed at the State’s failure to act, said Gail Farber, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Instead of working with us on this issue, the State has silenced science.
The County of Los Angeles maintains approximately 500 miles of open channel, 2,800 miles of underground storm drains, and 79,000 catch basins. The County’s stormwater program is developed under the oversight of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency that is responsible for overseeing these programs, and is undertaken in partnership with the cities at the beaches and watersheds. The County’s stormwater program includes multifaceted public education efforts such as stenciling storm drains and airing public service announcements, as well as extensive structural improvements, such as devices to exclude trash from entering into streams and waterbodies and low-flow stormwater diversion devices at the beaches.