Santa Ana, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Section 18-155 sits in Article IV of Chapter 18, the Water Pollution Regulations. Section 18-152 states the purpose: improve water quality and meet federal requirements for controlling urban pollutants in runoff that enters the network of storm drains across Orange County. Subsection (a) sets three bans: constructing, maintaining, operating or using an illicit connection; causing, allowing or facilitating a prohibited discharge; and letting an agent, employee or independent contractor do either. Hiring a contractor does not move the liability off the person who hired.

The definitions in § 18-153 give the ban its reach. A prohibited discharge is any discharge containing a pollutant, from public or private property, to the storm water drainage system, upstream tributary flow, groundwater, a river, stream, creek, wash, wetland, marsh, coastal slough, harbor, bay or the Pacific Ocean. Pollutants include trash, yard waste, animal fecal material, used oil, concrete washout, construction wastewater, super chlorinated water from potable line flushing, and any substance with a pH below 6.5 or above 8.6. An illicit connection is any man-made conveyance, pipe, conduit, inlet or outlet through which a pollutant reaches the storm drain system or can reach it.

Under subsection (c), a violation occurs irrespective of the negligence or intent of the violator. Section 18-153 lists 15 discharge exceptions, among them discharges composed entirely of storm water, dechlorinated swimming pool water, lawn watering, noncommercial vehicle washing, air conditioning condensation and firefighting flows, and it puts the burden on the person charged to prove an exception applies. Under subsection (d), an authorized inspector who finds that an excepted discharge threatens receiving waters can send written notice, and the exception ends after thirty days.

Subsection (b) covers older connections. A legal nonconforming connection becomes illicit at the earlier of five years from adoption of the article, for structural improvements, or six months after the owner receives notice, for nonstructural ones. The city manager can extend the period after weighing harm to receiving waters, the discharger's economic investment and the financial effect of termination. If an extension is denied, subsection (e) gives the owner an administrative hearing under Chapter 3 of the Code.