Violations
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| Violation ID |
Occurred Date |
Violation Type |
(-) Violation Description |
Corrective Action |
Status |
Classification |
Source |
| 1125032 |
12/31/2023 |
DMON |
Per Section 3.1 and 4.1 of the permit, Aldrin and Dieldrin shall be analyzed monthly in the effluent. An effluent sample was not collected in December 2024 because the December sampling pre-logins were not updated correctly. A make-up sample has been collected on January 24, 2024, and will be included in the January 2024 monthly NPDES report. To prevent the issue from reoccurring, the laboratory has reviewed and updated the LIMS profiles, pre-logins, and templates to ensure that all required parameters will be collected and analyzed. In addition, all samples collected will be reviewed to verify that all required parameters have been scheduled. |
Per Section 3.1 and 4.1 of the permit, Aldrin and Dieldrin shall be analyzed monthly in the effluent. An effluent sample was not collected in December 2024 because the December sampling pre-logins were not updated correctly. A make-up sample has been collected on January 24, 2024, and will be included in the January 2024 monthly NPDES report. To prevent the issue from reoccurring, the laboratory has reviewed and updated the LIMS profiles, pre-logins, and templates to ensure that all required parameters will be collected and analyzed. In addition, all samples collected will be reviewed to verify that all required parameters have been scheduled. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1125033 |
12/22/2023 |
Order Conditions |
Per Section 3.1 of the WDR, discharge of treated wastewater at a location different from that described in the Order is prohibited. On Dec 22, 2023, at approx. 11:48 AM, a chlorinated secondary effluent spill occurred at the Warren Facility due to a broken wash water line. Chlorinated secondary effluent flowed from the Warren Facility into an LA County flood control storm drain catch basin. The spill then flowed into the Wilmington Drain which discharges into Machado Lake. Sandbag containment was deployed at approx. 1:06 PM to completely stop the spill from entering the storm drain. The total amount of chlorinated secondary effluent that entered the storm drain is approx. 18600 gal.
Per Section 7.1.2.y of the WDR, if a discharger does not comply or will be unable to comply for any reason, with any prohibition of this Order that may endanger health or the environment, the Discharger shall notify the Manager of the Watershed Regulatory Section at the Los Angeles Regional Board (RB) by telephone, within 24 hours of having knowledge of such noncompliance and shall confirm this notification in writing within 5 days, unless the RB waives confirmation. RB staff was notified of the exceedance on Dec 22, 2023, at 2:30 PM, within 24-hours of receiving the preliminary notification. An email confirmation was sent to the RB on Dec 27, 2023, within 5 days of receiving the spill notification.
No impacts to human health, the environment, or beneficial uses of surface water are anticipated from the incident. The discharge consisted of disinfected secondary effluent, and residual chlorine was expected to have been reduced or otherwise dissipated in the storm drain before reaching Wilmington Drain over 3,600 feet away, or Machado Lake at almost 5,000 feet. No negative impacts were observed during biological observations taken on Dec 22, 2023. Warren Facility maintenance staff replaced the corroded pipe and a project has been initiated to replace and relocate the wash water line.
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Per Section 3.1 of the WDR, discharge of treated wastewater at a location different from that described in the Order is prohibited. On Dec 22, 2023, at approx. 11:48 AM, a chlorinated secondary effluent spill occurred at the Warren Facility due to a broken wash water line. Chlorinated secondary effluent flowed from the Warren Facility into an LA County flood control storm drain catch basin. The spill then flowed into the Wilmington Drain which discharges into Machado Lake. Sandbag containment was deployed at approx. 1:06 PM to completely stop the spill from entering the storm drain. The total amount of chlorinated secondary effluent that entered the storm drain is approx. 18600 gal.
Per Section 7.1.2.y of the WDR, if a discharger does not comply or will be unable to comply for any reason, with any prohibition of this Order that may endanger health or the environment, the Discharger shall notify the Manager of the Watershed Regulatory Section at the Los Angeles Regional Board (RB) by telephone, within 24 hours of having knowledge of such noncompliance and shall confirm this notification in writing within 5 days, unless the RB waives confirmation. RB staff was notified of the exceedance on Dec 22, 2023, at 2:30 PM, within 24-hours of receiving the preliminary notification. An email confirmation was sent to the RB on Dec 27, 2023, within 5 days of receiving the spill notification.
No impacts to human health, the environment, or beneficial uses of surface water are anticipated from the incident. The discharge consisted of disinfected secondary effluent, and residual chlorine was expected to have been reduced or otherwise dissipated in the storm drain before reaching Wilmington Drain over 3,600 feet away, or Machado Lake at almost 5,000 feet. No negative impacts were observed during biological observations taken on Dec 22, 2023. Warren Facility maintenance staff replaced the corroded pipe and a project has been initiated to replace and relocate the wash water line.
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Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1124195 |
11/22/2023 |
Order Conditions |
Per Section 3.1 of the permit, discharge of treated wastewater at a location different from that described in the Order is prohibited. On November 22, 2023, at approximately 2:03 PM, a chlorinated secondary effluent spill occurred at the Warren facility due to a broken wash water line. Chlorinated secondary effluent flowed from the Warren Facility into an LA County flood control storm drain catch basin. The spill then flowed from the storm drain into the Wilmington Drain which discharges to Machado Lake. Sandbag containment was deployed at approximately 4:00 PM to completely stop the spill from entering the storm drain. The total amount of chlorinated secondary effluent that entered the storm drain is approximately 4500 gallons.
Per Section 7.1.2.y of the permit, the Discharger shall notify the Manager of the Watershed Regulatory Section at the Los Angeles Water Board by telephone, within 24 hours of having knowledge of noncompliance and shall confirm this notification in writing within 5 days, unless the Los Angeles Water Board waives confirmation. LA Regional Water Quality Control Board staff was notified of the prohibited discharge on November 22, 2023, at 6:00 PM, within 24-hours of receiving the preliminary notification. An email confirmation of the notification was sent to the Regional Board on November 27, 2023, within 5 days of receiving the spill notification.
No impacts to human health, the environment, or beneficial uses of surface water are anticipated from the incident. The discharge consisted of only disinfected secondary effluent, and residual chlorine was expected to have been reduced or otherwise dissipated in the storm drain before reaching Wilmington Drain over 3,600 feet away, or Machado Lake at almost 5,000 feet. No negative impacts were observed during biological observations taken on Thursday, November 23, 2023. Warren Facility maintenance staff replaced the corroded pipe to prevent reoccurrence.
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Per Section 3.1 of the permit, discharge of treated wastewater at a location different from that described in the Order is prohibited. On November 22, 2023, at approximately 2:03 PM, a chlorinated secondary effluent spill occurred at the Warren facility due to a broken wash water line. Chlorinated secondary effluent flowed from the Warren Facility into an LA County flood control storm drain catch basin. The spill then flowed from the storm drain into the Wilmington Drain which discharges to Machado Lake. Sandbag containment was deployed at approximately 4:00 PM to completely stop the spill from entering the storm drain. The total amount of chlorinated secondary effluent that entered the storm drain is approximately 4500 gallons.
Per Section 7.1.2.y of the permit, the Discharger shall notify the Manager of the Watershed Regulatory Section at the Los Angeles Water Board by telephone, within 24 hours of having knowledge of noncompliance and shall confirm this notification in writing within 5 days, unless the Los Angeles Water Board waives confirmation. LA Regional Water Quality Control Board staff was notified of the prohibited discharge on November 22, 2023, at 6:00 PM, within 24-hours of receiving the preliminary notification. An email confirmation of the notification was sent to the Regional Board on November 27, 2023, within 5 days of receiving the spill notification.
No impacts to human health, the environment, or beneficial uses of surface water are anticipated from the incident. The discharge consisted of only disinfected secondary effluent, and residual chlorine was expected to have been reduced or otherwise dissipated in the storm drain before reaching Wilmington Drain over 3,600 feet away, or Machado Lake at almost 5,000 feet. No negative impacts were observed during biological observations taken on Thursday, November 23, 2023. Warren Facility maintenance staff replaced the corroded pipe to prevent reoccurrence.
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Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1118443 |
04/21/2023 |
Order Conditions |
Section VII.C.7.c.i requires a statement to be submitted by email to the Regional Board as soon as possible, but not later than twenty-four (24) hours after becoming aware of an unauthorized discharge of sewage or other waste from its wastewater treatment plant to a water of the United States. On April 20, 2023, a spill was confirmed at approximately 10:15 am. Initial notifications were completed as required within 2 hours, including notification to the local health officer and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). In addition, the Regional Board was notified of the spill via voicemail to Jeong-Hee Lim at 6:53 pm on April 20. However, due to an oversight, a written email was sent at 4:25 pm on April 21, after the 24-hour notification deadline. All other spill-related activities, including responding to and stopping the spill, and submitting the required 5-day and 30-day reports, were completed within the required timelines. To prevent this oversight from reoccurring, the internal reporting protocol has been updated to include calendar alerts to staff for all spill-related notification deadlines. |
Section VII.C.7.c.i requires a statement to be submitted by email to the Regional Board as soon as possible, but not later than twenty-four (24) hours after becoming aware of an unauthorized discharge of sewage or other waste from its wastewater treatment plant to a water of the United States. On April 20, 2023, a spill was confirmed at approximately 10:15 am. Initial notifications were completed as required within 2 hours, including notification to the local health officer and California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). In addition, the Regional Board was notified of the spill via voicemail to Jeong-Hee Lim at 6:53 pm on April 20. However, due to an oversight, a written email was sent at 4:25 pm on April 21, after the 24-hour notification deadline. All other spill-related activities, including responding to and stopping the spill, and submitting the required 5-day and 30-day reports, were completed within the required timelines. To prevent this oversight from reoccurring, the internal reporting protocol has been updated to include calendar alerts to staff for all spill-related notification deadlines. |
Violation |
U |
eSMR |
| 1117812 |
03/15/2023 |
CAT1 |
Settleable Solids Instantaneous Maximum limit is 3.0 ml/L and reported value was 20 ml/L at EFF-001. |
Per Section IV.A.1 of the WDR, the instantaneous maximum effluent limit for Settleable Solids is 3.0 mL/L. On March 15, 2023, settleable solids concentration at 9:15 a.m. was 20.0 mL/L. The exceedance was due to sustained high flows as a result of an extreme rain event. The peak flow through the plant was sustained at around 564 MGD for an extended period of time, during a normally low flow period when flow is typically around 200 MGD. Additional sampling was conducted on March 15, 2023. Results for samples collected at 1:53 p.m., 2:49 p.m., 3:28 p.m. and 5:02 p.m. were 2.0, 0.6, 0.4, and < 0.1 mL/L respectively, indicating that as the flow through the plant decreased, the settleable solids decreased back to normal levels. The daily average concentration was 0.6 mL/L which is in compliance with the daily maximum and weekly average effluent limits of 1.5 and 0.75 mL/L respectively. The monthly average is 0.1 mL/L which is in compliance with the average monthly effluent limit of 0.5 mL/L.
Per Section VII.A.2.w of the permit, in the event a discharger is unable to comply with an effluent limitation, the Discharger shall notify the Chief of the Watershed Regulatory Section at the Regional Board by telephone, within 24 hours of having knowledge of such noncompliance and shall confirm this notification in writing within 5 days. LA Regional Water Quality Control Board staff was notified of the exceedance on March 15, 2023 at 3:52 p.m., within 24-hours of receiving the preliminary result. Official email notification was sent to the Regional Board on March 17, 2023 at 1:08 p.m., within 5 days of receiving the result. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1102077 |
12/31/2021 |
DMON |
Per Section III.A.1 of the MRP, influent samples shall be analyzed quarterly for trivalent chromium. Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed quarterly for hexavalent and trivalent chromium. The influent and effluent chromium samples were inadvertently overlooked during the monitoring period due to a short-term transition in staffing. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, influent and effluent chromium sample collection will be added to the Sample Receiving Section¿s calendar and the sample collection staff will be notified by Client Services prior to the scheduled sampling event. A make-up sample is scheduled to be collected in March 2022. |
Per Section III.A.1 of the MRP, influent samples shall be analyzed quarterly for trivalent chromium. Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed quarterly for hexavalent and trivalent chromium. The influent and effluent chromium samples were inadvertently overlooked during the monitoring period due to a short-term transition in staffing. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, influent and effluent chromium sample collection will be added to the Sample Receiving Section¿s calendar and the sample collection staff will be notified by Client Services prior to the scheduled sampling event. A make-up sample is scheduled to be collected in March 2022. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1102078 |
12/30/2021 |
Deficient Reporting |
Per Section X.D.7 of the MRP, the discharger shall electronically submit a summary report of discharge to 003 and 004 outfalls within 5 days of completion of the discharge. Outfall 003 was opened on December 30 at 07:45 and closed on December 31 at 01:45 (18 hours) to provide hydraulic relief from high flows caused by a large storm event. During this storm, peak flows at JWPCP approached the hydraulic capacity of 675 million gallons per day (MGD), with a maximum flow of 539 MGD. Based on conditions at the time, including the tide height and the level of the water in the surge tower, Operations staff¿s best professional judgment was that temporary discharge of final effluent to Outfall 003 was necessary to avoid a potential plant overflow. The estimated flow rates to Outfall 003 while the gate valve was open on December 30 and 31 were approximately 51.7 MGD and 4.79 MGD, respectively, with a total volume of 35.4 million gallons. All required monitoring was conducted during the discharge event, and all results were within compliance limits. The discharge did not endanger human health or the environment.
The opening of Outfall 003 was inadvertently overlooked in the daily summary email from Operations which resulted in the delayed response. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, Reuse and Compliance staff were reminded to review the daily email summaries each day to ensure that future outfall notifications will be made in a timely manner.
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Per Section X.D.7 of the MRP, the discharger shall electronically submit a summary report of discharge to 003 and 004 outfalls within 5 days of completion of the discharge. Outfall 003 was opened on December 30 at 07:45 and closed on December 31 at 01:45 (18 hours) to provide hydraulic relief from high flows caused by a large storm event. During this storm, peak flows at JWPCP approached the hydraulic capacity of 675 million gallons per day (MGD), with a maximum flow of 539 MGD. Based on conditions at the time, including the tide height and the level of the water in the surge tower, Operations staff¿s best professional judgment was that temporary discharge of final effluent to Outfall 003 was necessary to avoid a potential plant overflow. The estimated flow rates to Outfall 003 while the gate valve was open on December 30 and 31 were approximately 51.7 MGD and 4.79 MGD, respectively, with a total volume of 35.4 million gallons. All required monitoring was conducted during the discharge event, and all results were within compliance limits. The discharge did not endanger human health or the environment.
The opening of Outfall 003 was inadvertently overlooked in the daily summary email from Operations which resulted in the delayed response. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, Reuse and Compliance staff were reminded to review the daily email summaries each day to ensure that future outfall notifications will be made in a timely manner.
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Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1099030 |
10/23/2021 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected at EFF-002A and EFF-002B on October 23, 2021 were invalid due to the inadvertent use of expired media in the analyses. To prevent a re-occurrence of this issue, staff has been instructed to check the expiration dates of the media and discard expired media. |
Per Section IV.A. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected at EFF-002A and EFF-002B on October 23, 2021 were invalid due to the inadvertent use of expired media in the analyses. To prevent a re-occurrence of this issue, staff has been instructed to check the expiration dates of the media and discard expired media. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1099031 |
10/23/2021 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected at EFF-002A and EFF-002B on October 23, 2021 were invalid due to the inadvertent use of expired media in the analyses. To prevent a re-occurrence of this issue, staff has been instructed to check the expiration dates of the media and discard expired media. |
Per Section IV.A. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected at EFF-002A and EFF-002B on October 23, 2021 were invalid due to the inadvertent use of expired media in the analyses. To prevent a re-occurrence of this issue, staff has been instructed to check the expiration dates of the media and discard expired media. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1091099 |
03/19/2021 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A.1. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be collected daily for enterococcus. The March 19 enterococcus samples for EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalid because the temperature of the incubator dropped below the acceptable range due to the door being left slightly ajar. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, staff were instructed to double check the incubator door to make sure it is properly closed. |
Per Section IV.A.1. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be collected daily for enterococcus. The March 19 enterococcus samples for EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalid because the temperature of the incubator dropped below the acceptable range due to the door being left slightly ajar. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, staff were instructed to double check the incubator door to make sure it is properly closed. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1091100 |
03/19/2021 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A.1. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be collected daily for enterococcus. The March 19 enterococcus samples for EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalid because the temperature of the incubator dropped below the acceptable range due to the door being left slightly ajar. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, staff were instructed to double check the incubator door to make sure it is properly closed. |
Per Section IV.A.1. of the MRP, effluent samples shall be collected daily for enterococcus. The March 19 enterococcus samples for EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalid because the temperature of the incubator dropped below the acceptable range due to the door being left slightly ajar. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, staff were instructed to double check the incubator door to make sure it is properly closed. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1085758 |
11/14/2020 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected on November 14 at EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalidated due to use of expired media. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, the Standard Operating Procedure has been reviewed with the analyst, with emphasis on checking the expiration date of the media prior to use. |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected on November 14 at EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalidated due to use of expired media. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, the Standard Operating Procedure has been reviewed with the analyst, with emphasis on checking the expiration date of the media prior to use. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1085759 |
11/14/2020 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected on November 14 at EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalidated due to use of expired media. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, the Standard Operating Procedure has been reviewed with the analyst, with emphasis on checking the expiration date of the media prior to use. |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent samples shall be analyzed daily for total coliform. The samples collected on November 14 at EFF-002A and EFF-002B were invalidated due to use of expired media. To prevent this issue from re-occurring, the Standard Operating Procedure has been reviewed with the analyst, with emphasis on checking the expiration date of the media prior to use. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
| 1081343 |
08/10/2020 |
DMON |
Per Section III.A.1 of the MRP, influent oil and grease samples shall be analyzed weekly. Oil and grease results on August 10 were invalidated due to an exceedance of the 28-day holding time. Because the issue was identified after the monitoring period and holding time had passed, no makeup samples were collected. Oil and grease analysis is typically conducted well within holding times, but has been slower than usual due to staffing issues and social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic; backlog checking protocols have been reviewed with analysts to prevent this issue from re-occurring. |
Per Section III.A.1 of the MRP, influent oil and grease samples shall be analyzed weekly. Oil and grease results on August 10 were invalidated due to an exceedance of the 28-day holding time. Because the issue was identified after the monitoring period and holding time had passed, no makeup samples were collected. Oil and grease analysis is typically conducted well within holding times, but has been slower than usual due to staffing issues and social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic; backlog checking protocols have been reviewed with analysts to prevent this issue from re-occurring. |
Violation |
U |
eSMR |
| 1081344 |
08/10/2020 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent oil and grease samples shall be analyzed weekly. Oil and grease results on August 10 were invalidated due to an exceedance of the 28-day holding time. Because the issue was identified after the monitoring period and holding time had passed, no makeup samples were collected. Oil and grease analysis is typically conducted well within holding times, but has been slower than usual due to staffing issues and social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic; backlog checking protocols have been reviewed with analysts to prevent this issue from re-occurring. |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent oil and grease samples shall be analyzed weekly. Oil and grease results on August 10 were invalidated due to an exceedance of the 28-day holding time. Because the issue was identified after the monitoring period and holding time had passed, no makeup samples were collected. Oil and grease analysis is typically conducted well within holding times, but has been slower than usual due to staffing issues and social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic; backlog checking protocols have been reviewed with analysts to prevent this issue from re-occurring. |
Violation |
U |
eSMR |
| 1062053 |
05/11/2019 |
DMON |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent Enterococcus samples shall be analyzed daily at the manifold stations. Effluent Enterococcus samples were not analyzed on May 11 due to an analyst error. The samples were placed into an incorrect incubator; no make-up samples could be collected. As a corrective action, proper procedures were reviewed with the laboratory staff and additional labeling was added to the incubators. |
Per Section IV.A of the MRP, effluent Enterococcus samples shall be analyzed daily at the manifold stations. Effluent Enterococcus samples were not analyzed on May 11 due to an analyst error. The samples were placed into an incorrect incubator; no make-up samples could be collected. As a corrective action, proper procedures were reviewed with the laboratory staff and additional labeling was added to the incubators. |
Violation |
B |
eSMR |
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Report displays most recent five years of violations. Refer to the Interactive Violation Report for more data.
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Total Violations: 16
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Priority Violations: 0
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*Click the "(+/-) Violation Description" link to expand and contract the violation description.
*As of 5/20/2010, the Water Board's Enforcement Policy requires that all violations be classified as 1, 2 or 3, with class 1 being the highest. Prior to this, violations were simply classified as Yes or No. If a 123 classification has been assigned to a violation that occurred before this date, that classification data will be displayed instead of the Yes/No data.
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| Violation Types |
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CAT1 = Category 1 Pollutant (Effluent Violation for Group 1 Pollutant)
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DMON = Deficient Monitoring
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Deficient Reporting = Deficient Reporting
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Order Conditions = Order Conditions
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