Countywide : Permit to Control Drainage From Pools

Several hundred residents who drain their swimming pools into the county’s network of flood control channels will now have to buy a $100 permit to do so, a county official said.

A recent county survey showed more than 300 homeowners have run drainage pipes from their pools to nearby channels or storm drains, according to Al Vasquez, manager of public property permits.

County officials are concerned that chemical-laced water may follow the channels to environmentally sensitive areas. Another concern, Vasquez said, is that the pipes may be emptying water into earthen channels in a way that might weaken them.

Many of the connections were done without construction permits, and some are the amateur handiwork of the homeowners.

“We have trucks going up and down the channels for maintenance purposes, and the erosion from some of these (drainage pipes) might compromise the strength of the channel and cause an accident,” Vasquez said.

Officials said the permit process allows the county to have more control of such poolside drainage systems and would defray some of the cost of inspection.

The survey that turned up the connections was performed to make sure the county meets new federal water pollution guidelines. The $100 permits are for three-year use of the channels, with a $100 renewal fee assessed every three years.

For more details, call the Environmental Management Agency at (714) 834-3474.