Arcata Municipal Code Art. 2 Prohibition of Discharges into Stormwater Drainage Facilities

Except as expressly exempted herein, no person shall allow or cause the discharge of pollutants into stormwater drainage facilities. Without limiting the foregoing, the following activities are expressly prohibited:

A. No person shall throw, deposit, leave, maintain, keep, or permit to be thrown, deposited, placed, left or maintained, any refuse, rubbish, garbage, or other discarded or abandoned objects, articles, or accumulations, in or upon any street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet, catch basin, gutter, creek, or other drainage structures, business place, or upon any public or private plot of land in the City, so that the same might be or might become a pollutant that enters the stormwater drainage facilities; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the disposal of garbage, rubbish or other waste in a lawful manner.

B. No person shall deposit leaves, dirt, wood chips or other landscape debris or material in such a manner as to obstruct, impound or cause siltation any part of the stormwater drainage facilities except as allowed by valid federal, state or local permits.

C. No person shall dispose of any pesticide, fungicide or herbicide banned or otherwise regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, or its successor, into any part of the stormwater drainage facilities.

D. No person shall allow or cause discharges from wastewater systems, industrial processes, cooling systems, boilers, fabric cleansing, equipment cleansing, vehicle engines, leaking vehicles, construction activities such as painting, sandblasting, paving, concrete placement, saw cutting, grading, swimming pools and spas into the stormwater drainage facilities.

E. No person shall allow, permit or cause the discharge of hazardous substances into the stormwater drainage facilities.

A. No person shall install, use or maintain a drain, conveyance, pipe, channel or other connection to the stormwater drainage facilities, whether on the surface or subsurface, that may result in the discharge of a pollutant or pollutants into the stormwater drainage facilities. For example, such illicit connections include but are not limited to those that could allow sewage, wastewater, and wash water to enter the stormwater drainage facilities and connections from indoor drains and sinks, regardless of whether the connection had been previously allowed, permitted, or approved by the City.

B. No person shall install, use or maintain a drain or conveyance connected from a Commercial or industrial premise to the stormwater drainage facilities where such connection or drain is not approved by the City and documented in City records.

Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, the following types of discharges into the stormwater drainage facilities are exempt from the prohibitions set forth above:

A. Discharges from the following activities when the discharger conducts the activity such that the least amount of nonstormwater as practicable enters the stormwater drainage facilities:

1. Watering of lawns, landscaping, and gardens;

2. Exterior washing of personal motorized vehicles by residents;

3. Draining of water from swimming pools or spas, after the chlorine or other disinfectant concentrate of such water shows a reading of zero concentration on a test kit;

4. Flushing of water lines and hydrants, or other discharges from potable water sources if the chlorine concentration is less than one (1) milligram per liter measured at the point of entry into the stormwater drainage system;

5. Flows from firefighting;

6. Residential crawl space and basement sump pumps;

7. Condensation from air conditioning units;

8. Gravity drainage from groundwater piping systems, including foundation and footing drains, and roof drainage downspouts;

9. Uncontaminated groundwater infiltration to separate storm sewers;

10. Uncontaminated pumped groundwater.

B. Discharges from naturally occurring rising ground waters, floodwaters, springs and flows from riparian habitats and wetlands, including diverted stream flows. (Ord. 1463, eff. 7/31/2015)