EPA order enforces trash prevention safeguards in Montebello, protecting Los Angeles waterways

May 9, 2022

MONTEBELLO, Calif. (May 5, 2022) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City of Montebello, CA have entered into an Administrative Order on Consent to assist the city in complying with its municipal stormwater sewer system permit.  This action will help the city achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act with respect to discharges of trash into the Los Angeles River.

“This order reflects EPA’s commitment to ensuring cities comply with federal law to prevent pollution to rivers and coastal ecosystems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Under this order, Montebello will better protect the health of nearby residents as well as the surrounding environment.”

From August 25 through October 29, 2020, inspectors from EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board conducted an offsite compliance monitoring audit of the City’s compliance with its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit and found multiple violations of the Clean Water Act.

EPA found the following violations:

• The City had not complied with the final water quality-based outflow limits for trash under its Permit.
• The City had not completed their Catch Basin Scoping Study or the Catch Basin Retrofit projects, both of which the City had declared it would complete under  its response to the Notice of Violation issued by the Regional Board.
• Three catch basins in the City were not equipped with full trash capture systems. Two of these three catch basins were not readily identifiable or included on the City’s inventory.

EPA is requiring the facility to:

• Submit a complete inventory of all catch basins that need full capture devices including those that either have partial or no trash capture devices.
• Submit  a completion schedule to install full trash capture devices on all catch basins for EPA approval.

View the Administrative Order on Consent.

Learn more about stormwater discharges from municipal sources.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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