UPDATE 11/8/12: In the face of serious concerns from Heal the Bay, our environmental partners and the USEPA, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted the proposed stormwater permit for L.A. County on November 8. Read more about the vote.

When it rains in L.A. County, millions of gallons of water flow over paved surfaces like rooftops, sidewalks, parking lots, and streets. This "urban runoff" picks up animal waste, metals, oil, toxic materials, bacteria, and pathogens, carrying them to our storm drain system to be dumped into our local rivers and beaches, usually with little or no treatment. We need common-sense regulation and strong protections to ensure that the cities and dischargers meet water quality standards that safeguard your and your family's health.

We are now working with our partners to determine next steps. We dispute the ongoing and erroneous assertion that implementing stormwater pollution plans will cost regional cities billions of dollars. Numerous municipalities around the nation have undertaken innovative and effective stormwater projects that provide multiple benefits at limited expense.

We are grateful to everyone who supported “Take LA By Storm” over the last few months! Without everyone’s strong advocacy, the permit would be in a much weaker state and we wouldn’t have these strong requirements in place.

This grassroots campaign needs your donations to stop the attack on clean water.

Sign up for our Action Alerts to stay up to date on the Take L.A. by Storm campaign, or follow us on Twitter for real-time updates with the hashtag #LAbyStorm.