Stormwater Quality Program

Primer

The Clean Water Act authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate the discharge of pollutants to the nation's waterways. The EPA developed the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to carry out this responsibility. In Los Angeles County, this authority has been delegated to the State through the work of the Regional Board. The Regional Board regulates the discharge of pollutants through a number of permits and in the case of municipal separate stormwater sewer systems, the permit is known as the MS4 permit. MS4 permits are valid for five years or as replaced by subsequent permits and the most recent was adopted last November and brought into effect on December 28, 2012.

As a permittee, the City is responsible for compliance with the current MS4 permit, which is a 500 page and very complex document. The engineering group in RPV along with our counterparts in the other Peninsula agencies responsible for stormwater are working together to develop a Coordinated Integrated Monitoring Program (CIMP) and an Enhanced Watershed Management Program (EWMP) to meet the demands of the permit. The permit documents, these program documents and other related topics can be further explored below.

Program Information - Good to Know!

RPV's MS4 Permit Information

County Program EIR for WMPs and EWMPs

Click here to go to County's website for this program

Clean Bay Restaurant Program

Additional Stormwater Quality Resources

Stormwater Quality Funding Options

  1. Ron Dragoo

    City Engineer


  2. Physical Address
    30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
    Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

    Phone: : 310-544-5252
    Fax: : 310-544-5292

    Hours

    Monday through Thursday

    7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    (Closed Noon to 1 p.m.)

    Friday

    7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

    (Closed Noon to 1 p.m.)


    Saturday and Sunday

    Closed


    After Hours Services



Questions or Comments

Email Engineering


Ocean Water Quality

June 23, 2015

Oil globules ("tar balls") were reported on some RPV beaches in early June, which is unusual. The City's environmental consultant was dispatched to make an assessment (read more (PDF)) and concluded the oil was not from a local (land based) source. Authorities, who have been working on similar contamination on South Bay beaches (possibly as a result of the May 19, Plains All American oil spill in Santa Barbara County), were contacted and are pursuing the issue. Meanwhile, it seems the oil and tar have since dissipated from the City's beaches.

June 17, 2015

Heal the Bay has recently published its Beach Report Card for 2015 and once again RPV beaches are ranked among the cleanest in the State. See their full report.