LOS ANGELES—On June 10, U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo B. Marshall entered a judgment approving the settlement of a lawsuit filed by NELC Staff Attorney Lewis DeHope against the City of Los Angeles for violations of the federal Clean Water Act at the Port of Los Angeles.
The lawsuit, filed in July 2024 on behalf of Environment California, alleged years of pollutant discharge violations from a stormwater treatment system that was both ineffective and undersized for the types and amounts of contaminated water accumulating at the sprawling Port.
The agreement fosters improved water quality in two major ways. First, it requires an end to longstanding violations of limits on discharges of bacteria and copper. Compliance with those limits will be accomplished through a required overhaul of the Port’s treatment system, and through enhanced monitoring practices to confirm the effectiveness of the planned improvements.
Second, the settlement requires a payment of $1.3 million to the Rose Foun- dation for Communities and the Environment to fund projects aimed at re- storing the Los Angeles Harbor, with most funds earmarked for a multi-year effort to remove tons of trash from San Pedro Bay. The agreement also requires the payment of a $130,000 civil penalty for past violations.
