Builders Targeted in Bid to Curb Pollution : Development: Malibu and Santa Monica vote to draft laws cutting the runoff from projects’ storm drains.

To reduce pollution dumped into Santa Monica Bay, the Santa Monica and Malibu city councils Tuesday each ordered the drafting of precedent-setting laws requiring developers to curb storm drain runoff.

“This is one of the most important pieces of legislation in this era,” Santa Monica Mayor Judy Abdo said. The two city councils voted unanimously to have the legislation drawn up.

The plan is the brainchild of the environmental group Heal the Bay, which wants to use the resulting law as a model for other cities across the nation, staff scientist Mark Gold said in an interview.

Officials from the two beach cities plan to “take their ordinances on the road,” asking other cities to join in the effort to clean up the bay.

Gold said the approach is modeled on that of the Clean Air Act but that its application to water pollution is unique.

The proposed ordinances call for a 20% reduction in runoff on new projects, but give the developer the option of choosing how to accomplish it.

Developers can choose from many ways to divert runoff, Gold said. For example, pavements can be made more porous so that some water soaks into them, or large blocks of concrete can be interspersed with green strips that would soak up some of the rain.

To accomplish the same purpose, as an alternative, developers can contribute to a city fund that would be used to curb runoff on public property.

“Urban pollution from storm drains is the largest pollution problem currently facing Santa Monica Bay beaches,” Gold said.

Among the contaminants are petroleum products, toxic metals such as zinc, and animal and human waste. At Pico-Kenter storm drain, one of about 60 that dump into the bay, pollution is so high that swimming is banned.

The measure also calls for residences and businesses to avoid introducing toxic materials into the system. For example, residents would be expected to treat that big oil spot on the driveway, Gold said.

Malibu City Councilman Mike Caggiano said Malibu’s measure will be tailored to that city’s more rural nature and will contain rules pertaining to runoff that contains pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural areas.