Richland, WA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Public Works Director / stormwater utility
- Administrative fine
- $100 to $5,000 per violation (RMC § 16.10.040)
- Civil penalty
- $100 to $5,000 per day (RMC § 16.10.050)
- Spill reporting
- 911 for hazardous spills; Public Works within 24 hours
- Record retention
- 3 years for commercial/industrial spill records
- Appeal window
- 30 days, fine paid in full to appeal
Summary
In the City of Richland, Washington, RMC § 16.05.020 prohibits discharging anything other than stormwater into the municipal storm drain system or any watercourse, naming trash, petroleum products, pesticides, sediment, and animal waste among banned materials. The Public Works Director administers Chapter 16.05, and violators face administrative fines up to $5,000 per violation or civil penalties up to $5,000 per day under RMC §§ 16.10.040 and 16.10.050.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into the municipal storm drain system or watercourse any materials, including but not limited to pollutants or waters containing any pollutants that cause or contribute to a violation of applicable water quality standards, other than stormwater. Examples of materials whose discharge is prohibited include but are not limited to: ... Trash or debris; construction materials; ... Petroleum products; antifreeze and any other automotive product; ... Silt, sediment, concrete, cement or gravel; ... No person shall connect any apparatus discharging any pollutant, in any quantity, to any part of the storm drain system or waters of the state except as explicitly authorized by an approved NPDES discharge permit or by an approved plan for compliance or BMP. ... An administrative fine may be no less than $100.00 and no more than $5,000 per violation. ... Assess civil penalties in an amount not less than $100.00 and not more than $5,000 per day for each day of violation.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 16.05 of the Richland Municipal Code makes it unlawful to discharge or cause the discharge of any material other than stormwater into the city's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or a watercourse when that material causes or contributes to a water-quality violation. The code lists specific prohibited materials: trash and construction debris, petroleum products and antifreeze, metals, flammable or radioactive materials, batteries, acids and alkalis, paints and solvents, pesticides and fertilizers, pool backwash, chlorine and other disinfectants, animal wastes, sewage, recreational-vehicle waste, animal carcasses, food waste, silt and cement, and dyes.
RMC § 16.05.020 also bars connecting any apparatus that discharges a pollutant to the storm drain system unless an approved NPDES permit or compliance plan authorizes it. Certain non-stormwater flows are allowed under § 16.05.030, including diverted stream flows, rising groundwater, foundation and footing drains, and emergency firefighting discharges, and § 16.05.040 permits conditional discharges such as dechlorinated water-line flushing. Anyone with knowledge of a spill must act under § 16.05.070: hazardous releases require an immediate 911 call, while nonhazardous releases must reach the Public Works Department within 24 hours, and commercial or industrial dischargers must keep a written record of the incident for at least three years.
The Public Works Director administers and enforces the chapter and, under RMC § 16.10.010, can issue a verbal warning, a written notice of violation ordering cleanup or a fine, or convene a show-cause hearing before taking further action. Recurring violations escalate. A person who receives a notice of violation or fine can appeal in writing within 30 days, paying the fine up front, with a hearing set within 15 days of the request.
Violations & Fines
Under RMC § 16.10.040, the Director can assess administrative fines of $100 to $5,000 per violation for repeated noncompliance. RMC § 16.10.050 makes ongoing violations unlawful and lets the city seek an injunction plus civil penalties of $100 to $5,000 per day of violation, along with attorney's fees and court costs. If the city abates a violation itself under § 16.10.030, the property owner must reimburse the cost, with a 5 percent penalty and 1 percent monthly interest added after 30 unpaid days, and the city can place a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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