See water and pollutants flowing where they shouldn’t be? You are the eyes and ears of your community – report any issues. When we over-water landscaping, hose down sidewalks, or wash our cars in the street, water flows down the gutter and into storm drains. When people intentionally dump or wash waste materials to a street, a drain, or a water body, it is considered an illicit discharge.
Los Angeles County
888-253-2652 (888-CLEAN-LA)
Agoura Hills: Sewer Emergencies
800-675-4357 (800-675-HELP)
Malibu: City Hall After Hours Line
310-456-2489 (310-456-CITY) ext. 311
Thousand Oaks: Environmental Programs
805-449-7283 (805-449-SAVE)
Runoff is Illegal
If you are responsible for causing pollutant laden runoff or an illicit discharge, action must be taken immediately to resolve the problem. Fines can total thousands of dollars per day for builders, businesses, horse owners, and homeowners that fail to address water runoff issues.
Water Runoff and Illicit Discharges
Non-point source pollution contributes to poor water quality in the Santa Monica Bay. “Non-point source” means that the pollution comes from varied and often unidentified sources. Trash, bacteria, viruses, nutrients, and excess sediments pollute our creeks and our ocean. Rain washes debris and pollutants off our streets and into the storm drain system. This water from the storm drain (also called urban runoff) is not filtered before entering the ocean.
Everything in the gutter eventually makes it to the ocean, pollution and all. Local governments help to combat this problem with frequent street cleaning, water filtration devices, community education, and enforcement.