Marina del Rey : Storm-Drain Cleanup Fee

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, standing in front of a Ballona Creek storm drain that dumps into Santa Monica Bay, signed a new city law Monday that charges property owners for improvements to the city’s 1,100-mile storm-drain system.

Joined by environmentalists and other city officials, Bradley described the new fee as a small price for stopping the flow of untreated urban runoff into the bay. During its first year, the new assessment will cost the average homeowner $2. Officials predict it could jump to $28 per year in the near future.

“Although the average resident is probably unaware of the threat of this form of pollution, storm drains collect some of our most toxic forms of pollutants and put swimmers, people who fish, and marine life in direct contact with the contaminants,” Bradley said.