Abstract This paper explores the problem of urban run-off - when pesticides, bacteria, trash, oil and other pollutants pour off our streets and into storm drains when it rains. This in turn reaches the sea, untreated, and wreaks havoc for aquatic life and causes a myriad of human illnesses. The paper discusses how this problem is being approached by officials in Torrance, California, including a series of progressive and innovative programs to combat urban runoff. It also looks at the legal issues surrounding the problem and suggests alternative solutions.
From the Paper "However, cities around the county have been rebelling against the regulations, especially inland cities that are not directly affected by coastal pollution. Torrance is also not on the coast, but it is quite nearby and is adjacent to the only two members of the 46 cities in the Coalition for Practical Regulation which commissioned the USC study, namely Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates. Lawndale is next over from Torrance and also belongs to the coalition, and the coalition is threatening to sue the regional water quality control board to soften the regulations. Critics of the USC report claim that the study did not look at the economic benefits to coastal cities of having cleaner ocean water and fewer beach closures, and the man who conducted the survey admits this (Smith)."
