City Refreshes ‘No Dumping – Drains to Ocean’ Stencils on Catch Basins Across the City

The City of Pasadena is repainting the “No Dumping – Drains to Ocean” stencils on storm drains across the city, a routine maintenance activity intended to remind residents that anything that enters a curbside catch basin — trash, oil, chemicals — flows untreated to local waterways and ultimately the Pacific.

The work, performed by a Public Works contractor, is part of the city’s compliance obligations under the Los Angeles County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit, according to a press release from Greg de Vinck, Director of Public Works. Pasadena’s stormwater system includes about 1,300 catch basins that drain to the Rio Hondo and Los Angeles River watersheds, according to a Department of Public Works report.

The stencils display the message “No Dumping – Drains to Ocean” alongside a fish symbol, the release said. The markings are reapplied as they fade from traffic and weather.

The stenciling supports the city’s MS4 Permit requirements and compliance with state and federal stormwater regulations, according to the release. Routine catch basin maintenance is a required component of the city’s MS4 Permit, the City Manager’s Office said in a separate February newsletter.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board regulates discharges from municipal storm drain systems through the regional MS4 Permit, issued under the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program. The permit governs how Pasadena and 18 other cities and agencies in the Upper Los Angeles River Watershed Management Group manage stormwater that reaches the LA River, Rio Hondo and connected waterways.

The markings serve as a reminder to discourage illegal dumping and improper disposal of pollutants such as trash, oil and chemicals, according to the release. Unlike water that enters a sanitary sewer, stormwater in MS4 systems drains directly to rivers, creeks and the ocean unless captured beforehand.

Residents may notice crews working in neighborhoods across the city as part of the effort, the release said. The work is characterized in the release as a routine and essential activity that supports water quality protection, regulatory compliance, and the long-term function of the city’s stormwater system.

The stencil refresh is one of several ongoing stormwater activities at the Department of Public Works. The city is conducting catch basin cleaning citywide, according to the City Manager’s Office, and is advancing the Jefferson Park Stormwater Capture Project, a feasibility study examining an underground system designed to intercept runoff from a 567-acre drainage area that includes land downstream of the Eaton Fire burn zone, according to the city’s project website.

For additional information about stormwater programs, the city directs residents to its Stormwater website or to the Stormwater Program Administrator.

Crews will continue the work in neighborhoods across the city as stencils fade, the release said.