On December 4 the US Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether municipalities will be required to obtain NPDES permits for the pollutants that run off from their streets and buildings through their municipal separate storm sewer systems, orMS4s, into nearby rivers. The case, Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, is an appeal from a decision of the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals in which the City (County?) of Angels was ordered to obtain permits for its discharges of runoff into the Los Angeles River. Roderick Walston has a great analysis of the case and the legal issues involved, and I invite you to check it out to learn more about them.
Legalities aside, this is a tough nut to crack politically. MS4s can be major contributors to water quality violations, but requiring NPDES permits for this type of runoff will likely result in higher taxes to pay for the treatment needed to meet discharge limits.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment