LOS ANGELES—On July 23, 2024, National Environmental Law Center (NELC) attorneys filed a lawsuit against the Port of Los Angeles, alleging that the Port has habitually violated the federal Clean Water Act. Filed on behalf of Environment California, the complaint alleges thousands of violations of the Port’s Clean Water Act permit in the last five years alone.
Trademarked as “America’s Port,” the Port of Los Angeles has been the largest container port in the United States for over two decades. The Port is a department of the City of Los Angeles, and it is entirely funded by leasing and shipping fees assessed on the hundreds of shipping companies that use it each year.
“The lawsuit lays out two types of violations of the Clean Water Act,” ex- plained NELC attorney Lewis DeHope, “violations by exceeding specific permit limits on levels of bacteria, copper, and petroleum hydrocarbons in the Port’s stormwater discharges, and violations by discharging entirely untreated stormwater, due to the Port’s usage of a vastly undersized treatment facility.”
The Port’s effluent limit violations appear to show that the Port is contributing to the poor quality of the surrounding waters, given that the state of California has designated the Los Angeles Harbor as an impaired waterway due to excessive levels of bacteria and toxic metals like copper. Even though the Port has regularly paid a “mandatory minimum” state penalty of $3,000 per violation, these violations have continued unabated.
Making matters even worse, the Port’s discharges of untreated stormwater go untested, so it is unclear what contaminants, in what quantities, are discharged into the surrounding waters. During large rain events, the Port discharges well over one million gallons of untreat- ed stormwater in a single day.
The suit against the Port is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in Los Angeles. NELC attorneys have agreed with the Port to pause litigation deadlines while the parties determine whether they can reach a satisfactory settlement.
“What we are seeking,” said Environment California State Director Laura Deehan, “is a result that will end the Clean Water Act violations and improve the water quality of Los Angeles Harbor.”
