El Paso, TX Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- General ban
- Only stormwater may enter the MS4, § 15.20.080
- Banned substances
- Motor oil, sewage, wash-rack water, pool backwash
- Release reporting
- Call fire dept./city engineer immediately, report in 14 days
- Penalty
- Up to $2,000 fine per violation, per day
- Administrator
- City stormwater administrator, § 15.20.030
Summary
El Paso City Code § 15.20.080 bans discharging anything other than stormwater into the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), and § 15.20.090 lists specific banned substances, motor oil, industrial and hazardous waste, sewage, wash-rack and pressure-washing wastewater, and construction sediment, all administered by the city's stormwater administrator under Chapter 15.20.
A. No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or waters within the jurisdiction of the city any discharge that is not composed entirely of stormwater. ... C.No person shall release or cause, allow, or permit to be introduced any of the following substances into the MS4 nor the waters within the jurisdiction of the city such that the substance may enter the air or groundwater:1.Any used motor oil, antifreeze, or any other motor vehicle fluid;2.Any industrial waste;3.Any hazardous waste, including hazardous household waste;4.Any domestic sewage or septic tank waste, grease trap waste, or grit trap waste;
Full Breakdown
080(A): no person may introduce, or cause to be introduced, any discharge into the MS4 or city waters that is not composed entirely of stormwater. Subsection B carves out affirmative defenses, permitted NPDES discharges, firefighting water, agricultural runoff, water-line flushing, lawn and landscape irrigation runoff, diverted springs, uncontaminated groundwater and foundation-drain water, individual residential car washing, and chemical-free street-washing water, but Subsection C strips that defense away once the city has determined the discharge is a pollutant source and given the discharger written notice. 090 then lists substances the MS4 may never receive: used motor oil and antifreeze, industrial and hazardous waste, sewage and septic/grease-trap waste, wastewater from commercial car washes and vehicle-maintenance shops, aircraft-washing wastewater, commercial pressure-washing and carpet-cleaning wastewater, cooling-tower and boiler blowdown, ready-mix concrete or asphalt residue, pool and spa backwash, and sediment from grading or construction beyond what erosion controls can retain.
Subsection F requires pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer use, sale, storage and disposal to comply fully with FIFRA and Texas Agriculture Code Chapters 63, 75 and 76, and Subsection G bans discharging used oil into the MS4, mixing it with landfill-bound solid waste, or using it for dust or weed control. 100 requires anyone responsible for a qualifying release to phone the fire department and city engineer immediately and file a written report within 14 days.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 15.20 is a misdemeanor under Section 15.20.150, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 per violation, with each day of a continuing violation and each separate section violated counted as its own offense; no culpable mental state is required to prove the offense. The stormwater administrator and environmental personnel under that office, along with any officer authorized to issue Class C misdemeanor citations, may cite violators under Section 15.20.160.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my car in the driveway and let the water run into the street?
What has to happen if a hazardous spill reaches a storm drain?
What's the fine for an illegal stormwater discharge?
Who enforces El Paso's stormwater rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso
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