Green Port water quality projects protect and improve water quality by managing the activities that can cause water pollution.

Why Water Quality Matters to the Port Water Quality Brochure

Water from storm drains flows directly into the ocean.  Pollution such as oil, grease, litter, dirt, and other pollutants can enter the harbor through the storm drains.  Water pollution prevention is a focus at the Port because most of the 3,200 acres of Port land are paved and water drains directly into harbor waters.  By improving water quality we are protecting our oceans, providing a healthy marine environment, and helping to ensure a sustainable place to live, work, and play for years to come.

Water Quality Improvement Efforts at the Port

Green Port Water Quality and Sediment Programs aim to improve water and sediment quality by managing Port activities that could impact harbor waters and sediments.  Water and sediment quality in the Harbor District has greatly improved in recent decades, and surveys show steady improvement in fish diversity and bird species thriving in the harbor.

Master Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program

Created by the Port in 1992 in order to implement a systematic approach to storm water management throughout the Harbor District, the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program includes all aspects of storm water management, including industrial, construction, municipal, and development activities.  The program goes above and beyond what is required by federal and state law.

Master Storm Water Program in Action

Contractors, tenants, and the Port follow best management practices when designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining facilities in order to prevent soil erosion and pollutants from entering storm drains.  The Port manages the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) storm water permits through the Master Storm Water Program.  The Port is the permit holder under the Industrial Permit and ensures compliance by the tenants.   

Port-owned street sweepers work every day to help keep the Port roadways clean, and the Big Dipper removes 25 tons of trash from the harbor each year.  Port tenants undergo regular inspections to ensure that they are in compliance with the Port’s storm water permits.  The inspections also ensure that facilities are clean and that Storm Water Pollution Prevention Programs (SWPPPs), training, and self-inspections are up-to-date. 

Storm water is sampled at 21 outfalls located throughout the Port, as it enters the harbor, to test for pollutants.  The Port is currently in the process of installing automated sampling equipment designed to collect more accurate samples in a safer manner.  The Port compiles inspection and sampling results annually, and results are given to the City to be included in the City of Long Beach annual report to the Water Board.  The Port is anticipating regulatory changes to the permits by implementing revised elements, such as increased monitoring and inspections, into the Master Storm Water Program.

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

The Port has been actively involved with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Regional Water Quality Control Board in developing TMDL implementation plans for the Dominguez Channel and the harbor.  Implementation plans will determine actions the Port and upstream dischargers must take to ensure water body improvement.

Upcoming Plans

In conjunction with the Port of Los Angeles, the Port has developed the Water Resources Action Plan (WRAP) which will help implement water and sediment quality programs.